Summary: Actions that can't be changed are taken and all sides must adjust
Categories: Giantess,
Couples,
Crush,
Destruction,
Gentle,
Giant,
New World Order,
Sci-Fi,
Violent Characters: None
Growth: Titan (101 ft. to 500 ft.)
Shrink: None
Size Roles: F/m
Warnings: None
Challenges: None
Series: None
Chapters: 12
Completed: No
Word count: 70017
Read: 73579
Published: November 25 2018
Updated: September 22 2019
Story Notes:
This is a FANFIC, there is no goal of profit or comerical use of any of the characters. This story is soley for the purposes of entertianment.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
1. Setting the stage by Bigdawg K
2. Chapter 1 by Bigdawg K
3. Chapter 2-Battle's end, War begins by Bigdawg K
4. Chapter 3 by Bigdawg K
5. Chapter 4 by Bigdawg K
6. Chapter 5 by Bigdawg K
7. Chapter 6 War to the Knife, Knife to the Hilt by Bigdawg K
8. Chapter 7 by Bigdawg K
9. Chapter 8 by Bigdawg K
10. Chapter 9 by Bigdawg K
11. Chapter 10 by Bigdawg K
12. Chapter 11 by Bigdawg K
Setting the stage by Bigdawg K
Author's Notes:
Prolouge where some of the main characters are introduced
Prologue
Unity Palace, Luthien-Draconis Combine, April 20, 3059
Theodore Kurtia was of several minds, he was well aware of what his daughter and the operational commander of Bulldog were up to. He remembered what it had been like to be a young man hiding his affections from his father. He had even married the love of his life in secret with the aid of the Internal Security Force and Order of the Five Pillars. That had been a matter of private concern when the time came to finally reveal his marriage and children to his father, Coordinator Takashi Kurita. If Omiko and Hohiro had not shown themselves to be intelligent and strong scions of the Dragon, Father would have followed his duty to order them 'purified' to ensure that the Dragon remained strong. Thankfully, the plan he had developed with ISF Director Subahash Indrahar and Keeper of House Honor Constance Kurita had succeeded, forcing Father to avoid rash actions and judge his children on their own considerable merits.
In fact, it may have been the first sign of his father's 'mellowing', ever the Foe of the Fox and the Snow Princess. Takashi had further consolidated his rule, the Combine already being one of the most repressive and centralized states as it was. That Theodore a mere generation later had repealed most of those consolidations as well as several from generations, centuries past. Well sufficient to say Takashi had 'MELLOWED'. However, if he were alive today to know what Victor Steiner-Davion was currently doing with his only granddaughter, Theodore would not need a HPG to hear Takashi's reaction even if he were at the farthest end of the Combine. Thankfully once in the land of dead your soul tends to stay there, Theodore smiled. Victor is a gentleman, and a man of great virtue, therefore Omiko encouraged him to consummate their relationship now that he had proved his worth to her and to the Dragon.
From what his ISF had uncovered, they were within standards and practices of both the Federated Commonwealth and Combine. Theodore smirked nothing kinky, "both partners are increasingly pleased and satisfied with the other's performance" he had read the report and even though it was his daughter they were reporting on he nearly laughed his head off. He kept the report from his wife if she found out he was spying on their daughter and her beloved... well it would not end well for him.
So, with all obstacles removed other then having the Federated Commonwealth's Draconis, Skye and most of what's left of Tamar Marchs revolt, While at the same time having Galedon, Dieron and Benjamin Districts in his Combine join them in revolution, with the added benefit of the Black Dragon Society trying to kill his family 'for selling Omiko to the fell yellow bird' Omi and Victor were in fact nearly perfect for the other.
Omi enters, her kimono resplendent, Theodore is amazed, she made the trip from the Place of Serene Sanctuary having 'exercised' with Victor a mere hour ago. Though mildly upset by the thought, he was much more impressed with his daughter and amused by it. Omi kneels "you requested my presence Coordinator," she says with a slight smile.
Theodore "I did daughter, everything with Victor's recovery going well", as motions for her to stand. The Black Dragons had attempted to kill him and Omi nearly six months prior, further increasing the importance of their plans. Omi with a beaming smile full of love "Victor's recovery is going splendidly father, I am fully satisfied with all aspects of it, some he performs even beyond my satisfaction...".
Theodore smirks and though he knows from the ISF just what areas are beyond her satisfaction, he focuses on their plan. "Victor will be here in a few hours with Focht, your brother and Kai to begin to load their dropships, you are going with the Task Force to Wolcott?". Omi nods "I am father", Theodore nods "once operations commence you will return here and we will start our own operations, can you bare the loss of honor and face it will require, the Black Dragons will even try for your life". Omi sadly nods "for him, I can endure anything", Theodore cups her face in his hands "so it is for with me and your mother, and all my children, so you came up with the concept by studying Victor's Davion family history?"
Omi smiles with satisfaction "yes father, while our glorious armies were marching toward New Avalon and the Capellens were marching through toward New Stryis John Davion responded to a riot, murder, and arson on New Avalon's premier Buddhist temple". Theodore "Byodo-in, is it?" Omi nods, "Following the Kentares massacre the majority Davion populace were very angry with Asians, leading them to kill the majority of the monks as they prayed for their souls and burning the Byodo-in. John Davion at that time was First Prince of the Federated Suns, he stood there with the Pope of the New Avalon Catholic Church and the senior Rabbi of New Avalon to condemn the actions of his citizens, to call on them to direct their efforts against their true foes the Combine and Confederation and not against their fellow citizens. John paid for the reconstruction out of his personal funds and would speak out against prejudice and bigotry until our forces assassinated him and his son Joshua a year later"
Theodore shook his head, no Coordinater could have suffered a loss of face like John did, placing his people's needs, protection before honor would have ended in the Coordinator dead. He had been very successful in finding' third ways' around this, but he thought not for the first time there was a good deal of moral courage in his ancestral foes and in his daughter.
When the clans had been dealt with Omi would admit the Combine's sins in the succession wars with an emphasis on the main one, the Kentares massacre. He would, of course, denounce and disown her, the Black Dragons would attempt to take her life. Victor, his father Hanse and Mother Melissa would offer her sanctuary, defend her, and make the case to their recalcitrant marchs that she was now one of them.
After a year or so the Fedcom would settle, Victor and Omi could marry having renounced any claim to the Coordinator. Then he could slowly begin bringing them back into the family, bit by bit, inch by inch. That wouldn't be easy for Omi, or even him was an understatement, but there was a time to admit sins and ask for forgiveness. For what Hanse did for them at Luthien, for who Victor is, it was time for the Kurtian family to borrow from the Davions and admit wrongdoing and direct their people toward their true enemies.
A few hours later
Precentor Martial Focht "all appears to be in order, though it is doubtful that our plans will survive the first contact with the enemy". Theodore nods, "but we have the best strategic, operational and logistical minds of the current and past generation we will be able to make adjustments", Victor nods, still a bit dreamy, his mind thinking more about tactics, and strategies on pleasing Omi then driving the Smoke Jaguars from the Inner Sphere, Hohiro beats Kai or Galen Cox in nudging him and whispering "there will be plenty of time to think about my sister after we win, which reminds me as a potential future uncle any male you produce with my sister the name Hohiro would work well" he chuckles, Hohiro would state to his sister she could do worse than Victor, what he meant and what he knew his sister heard was that she couldn't do any better.
Theodore looks over to the 'Brat pack', so much talent, skill courage and dedication to duty as well as their peoples. Victor Ian Steiner-Davion, Kai Allard-Liao, his own son Hohiro, their aides, Shin and Galen, even the bubbling Hauptman Renny Sanderlin(Theodore smiles not every good soul can be in a gracious package), every one committed to the task, dedicated to free his star nation from the clans, that some would not be coming home from caused him no small measure of grief.
Victor "task force Serpent is already on the way to Huntress, the deep strike should..." Theodore wished Morgan Hasek-Davion luck and hoped to see the Prince's champion and leader of the Capellan March home alive, far different than his feelings in the past.
After a few hours, everyone headed to their spaceports and loaded their dropships.
a week later
CSS Invisible Truth, April 27, 3059 Orbit Wolcott.
Focht had assembled his commanders, "Men and Women, Ladies and Gentlemen we leave for Wolcott when we arrive after a week where we break into our task groupings and begin to roll the clan invasion back world by world. It will not be easy the clans have some of the best warriors in the universe. Their tech hasn't been addled by centuries of total war and operations by certain parties to ensure the inner Sphere remain in benighted days. They are not Invincible the Clans, many of my upper-level commanders have won more than one battle against them. With that having been said I am glad we are going against the Jaguars, The Wolves though Wardens have a certain skill and ability to win that makes them the last clan we want to fight rather than the first."
Focht continued "This is a war not only to liberate Combine worlds and drive one of the most dictatorial clans from the game. It is to end the invasion all together, when we have won here, when task force serpent has won at Huntress we will go to Stranta Mechy and demand a trail of refusal to all the clans. When we have won we will slowly either integrate or drive from our lands the remaining clans, likely we will have to fight the Falcons, some of the Vipers, but it is also likely that clans like the Wolves, the Ghost Bears, and the Diamond Sharks we will find an accommodation with like we have with the Nova Cats."
Focht ends "we jump within the hour, to liberate worlds, to bring the fight to the enemy and to end the threat to our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, uncles and aunts, even our cousins. Humanity will learn again that soldiers will beat warriors, and that Soldiers defend civilization! God Bless and Godspeed!"
one hour later
The fleet jumps, hundreds of jump ships, thousands of dropships, tens of thousands of fighters, mechs, hundreds of thousands of tanks, VTOLs, MICVs, APCs, Hovercraft and artillery pieces have space folded around them, over a dozen warships escort the 52 mech regiments, 400 armoured regiments and over a 1000 supporting regiments as they arrive at...
A different universe, a different star system, a different time.
Tau Ceti, initial offloading of Imperial staff, MA 2127
Sorcha Freeman had a week or so before her and her Titan/Hybrid/Avalonian staff would begin to get refugees from the effects of the Emperor's executive order, the Zeramblin Act had failed by two votes, TWO VOTES, both were changes from the Liberal Party, LIBERAL PARTY. No one knew which two it was as the change happened at the end of voting, then the follow up on at least granting the humans a status better then pets, the same intermediate status of national so that they could at least start their way toward proving themselves worthy of citizenship (Sorcha being the half-human daughter of one of the most brilliant sapients ever to live while being her father and oh by the way HUMAN, never doubted their right, she doubts the Titan's 'protection'). It also failed by TWO VOTES again by Liberals switching their votes at the last moment. So the Emperor issued an executive order granting humans National status and demanding the issue be re-visited in five Titan years.
As a sop to those supporting human rights, the house did support by an overwhelming margin of 750 to 250 an aid and trade package to Earth. Sorcha snorted, Earth the supposed backwater primitives were already classified as class one sapients, but they weren't part of the empire, they didn't vote in imperial elections and many of those that would be hurt by human emancipation within the empire were benefited by trade with Earth. If you were a 'wild' human you had rights within the empire (as long as you weren't already a part of it, sorry Alex, Nick, Darren, Norah, Lessy, and on and on). If you were 'domesticated' you were shit out of luck.
Needless to say, Sorcha was not in the mood to be challenged, but Captian Jonas of the 13th Jacks didn't let her foul mood interfere with what he felt was his duty. "Ma'am, I believe you and the other Titans as well as Hybrids (had to be careful with her, call her a titan and she may act like one...) are overcompensating for the lack of positive legislation, even if the Zeramblin Act had passed, I am under no illusions that someone like Forna Qorni would of funded human education and transition to humans becoming full citizens."
Sorcha smirked meanly, and breathed slowly as she very carefully place her palm toward the good captain, that she was over 142 feet tall, and stronger then virtually any other living being with the potential exception of her fellow hybrid Joseph Archer-Mavoy she knew was intimidating enough, for her to show her mother's titan temper was even worse as he climbed on she said with annoyance "go head CPT Jonas, tell me we are giving those 'pets' that have been released by their owners a vastly better lifestyle then they are ready for, that using pre-fabricated blocks apartments isn't logical and cost too much, that actually importing fresh/synthesized food while getting their farms up was allowing them to live in the lap of luxury, cause if it is, then I need to do even better, they have been pets, PETS without freedom and only what their owners, OWNERS deemed necessary, as they are people forgive me for wanting them to have at least a minimal level of comfort compared to what they had!!!"
CPT Jonas didn't doubt her heart, or even her mind, he doubted her mental peripheral vision, she saw right and wrong, black and white, but on the sides there were gray. He had no doubt she could see the political gray, but tactically he doubted she was fully aware of just how great a danger their neighbors represented. The insectoids weren't far way and they like to snack on humans like him, but Sorcha KNEW that uncle Aertimus would be there to save them if they invaded, Jonas wasn't so sure. Jonas "Boss, I have no doubt your heart is in the right place, and that your head is as well", Sorcha cut him off "then why are we having this conversation again?" she said a bit exasperated, again she reminded herself he was doing his job. Jonas "cause we are snack food for insectoids, you are not". Sorcha nodded "you are right, ok Captian tell me you plan again, you know where I stand, but it won't hurt to see if we can integrate some of it into my overly 'kind' project" calming herself and wishing he didn't have a point.
CPT Jonas smiled as the professional Civil Administrator/Planner Sorcha kicked in, after her brief disaster in reorganizing agriculture in Avalon (she was in the end right, but ran roughshod over everyone, she figured out like the genius she was to allow input, It did fill out and improve her intail plans, not by much, but enough, though the buy-in was what made even the best plan work, not the plan he smiled and he saw that she had learned it at least partially) she listened, she didn't necessarily adopt or modify, but she did listen and logged it. Jonas "one titan tent can handle 20,000 humans and is much simpler to put up, climate control and maintain, one titan survival ration can feed hundreds of humans for days, both are much cheaper, easier and simpler to supply then the pre-fab modules, also this level of comfort would be conducive to military training, so that every refugee has the training to aid your staff if there is an insectoid incursion if not invasion."
Sorcha nods "good points, but I don't want to substitute one form of servitude for another, I know being a Soldier isn't being a slave for you, but you choose it, what it sounds like the refugee humans are going to be drafted, I won't lie I could use the labor and civil control, but it feels like we are limiting my kin" she very gently and with affection rubs her chin on his body "as my 'brother' you choose your life, let them choose theirs please?" This was the most dangerous form Sorcha has, the loving, caring and thoughtful human hybrid, only Lessy could regularly stand against her, unfortunately though her default form she was easily stirred to anger and frustration, but she was getting better control over her anger issues week by week, month by month, year by year. If she could maintain her default form(with her thinking straight, being charming as only a demi-goddess like she could be and incorporating the best that others suggested) she would be invincible. She would consider his suggestions, it would just be too long to be of help in the future.
If they had used tents evacuation would have been simpler, if the humans were trained in basic combat and discipline they would have required less supervision and in most instances been helpful if not decisive in the colony's defense. With the simplified power and water grids, the loss of a power plant would have only affected maybe 100,000 and only for a short time. So Sorcha's compassion for her human kin caused more deaths then Jonas's desire to have them find their own dignity.
Author's Notes:
The battle begins, Task force Bulldog has missjumped into the Battle of Tau Ceti, thier first instinct is to help the "giant" humans in this Universe. Differences and problems begin to arrise as secerts begin to leak as the fight against the Insectoids continues.
Chapter one
New friends, new parties
we were strangers to these, these humans? we only knew they were being attacked, we didn't know the sins they had committed against those that were smaller then they, we felt compelled to help, and we were right to. However, we needed to do more, much more once everyone was safe.-Omiko Kurita
Planet Unknown, Jump point Unknown, Time Unknown.
The Klaxons were going off, over 97% of the fleet had been accounted for there was mild to moderate jump sickness amongst 10% of the personal, thankfully virtually none were among the aerospace fighter and assault dropship units, which were at current launching. Antious Focht was one of the mildly affected, he knew it was his age, as the fleet accounted for 98% of their ships his radar Precentor let him know by sensors what he could tell by eyesight, that they were in the middle of a furball.
Focht contacted Victor on board the Mjolnir Class Battle Cruiser FCS Yggdrasil, Kai on the Avalon Class Heavy Cruiser FCS New Avalon and Hohiro on the Kirishima-class Heavy Cruiser DCS Shiro. Focht "are you reading what I am", Victor "hundreds of thousands of ships, those that are ingressing on the planet have temperatures on the cockpit below mammalian levels?", Hohiro "the vastly outnumbered ships and fighters seem to be humanoid but are vastly larger than us", Kai "there are ships roughly our scale and they are doing much of the damage to the cold-blooded ships", Victor "have you initiated contact with either side" Focht nods "getting clicks from the cold-blooded and standby from the humanoids", Victor "so these ships are roughly 10 times our length...", Focht "radar and emissions show the armor is much thinner, and the weapons are roughly analogous", Hohiro "how analogous?", Focht smirks "the lasers on the cold-blooded side are barely above our wargaming 'paint scratchers', the humanoid plasma weapon fire is closer to our lasers in damage, basically it's a mid-step to our particle projection cannons if we engage our PPCs I think will have an interesting effect on either side and oh by the way the humanoids have a kind of shield, I think our naval PPCs can handle it if required". 99.73% of the fleet accounted for...
Navarchos Aertimus Bass watched as hundreds of starships blink into space above Tau Ceti. Thousands of fighters, what appeared to be 'heavy fighters' and assault ships moved out from their hangers and dropship colliers. Life signs seem to indicate Humans, there had to be nearly five million of them, the 'capital' ships were roughly 1/9th or 1/10th the length of his ships, but much more dense, their power was roughly 1/2 to 1/3rd of his ships, if Dr. Niall Freeman's reactor was on those ships they would wipe the floor with both fleets. "So Niall" Aertimus asked his brother-in-law, "you think they are friendly", Niall "they maybe if you communicated with them". Aertimus nodded "not yet, I want their fleet ready for battle before the insectoids rush them", Naill "you know you would be nervous if you were being told stand by all the time", Aertimus smirks "I would but as long as we are the primary target they can deploy their assets, which they are doing a great job of doing", Niall did notice with each passing second the screen looked tighter and better supported, though he wasn't a naval officer, he could tell Aertimus was impressed with what he saw. Navarchos Bass shook his head "it looks like our insectoid friends are making the decision for us"
Over 100,000 fighters head for task force Bulldog's screen, having been warned three times the Bogies become Bandits. Corsairs, Lightnings, and Transgressors, light aerospace fighters engage, the lasers they are armed with are both more effective and less effective then hoped, medium and large lasers, particularly the pulse upgrades shoot right through the 'fighter' craft hulls, those larger ships supporting with armor seem to do better against the inner sphere's task force lasers. But they are quickly targeted by heavy fighters and assault dropships with PPCs. When the bolt from the particle projection cannon hits the ship doesn't so much vaporize as particlizaled, little flakes evaporate off as the ship crumbles. The Precentor Air Group issues orders, laser and projectile armed ships hold the line and slowly advance toward the humanoid task force, those heavier with PPCs and Gauss rifles (also very effective against Insectoid ships), he orders "GO FOR THE HEAVIES!!!". A few wings of lighter fighters from up to escort them through the fighter screen.
Seminavarchos Tam looks in wonder, "they've taken out 20,000 of the insectoid fighters and destroyers they have no shields and right now they count their losses in melted armor". Niall smiles "humans what will they think of next", Izzy smirks "those ships look a bit small for titans there Navarchos". Navarchos Bass smiles "well now is the time to contact the enemy of our enemy with the goal of making them our friends..."
On the FCS Yggdrasil Victor is mounting up his on assualt mech Prometheus, three Claymores, four Avengers and six Fortresses are with nearly a full wing of Aerospace fighters escorting them into the world, they will interpose themselves between the large humanoids and what appears to be insects, Renny's Battalion will hold the left flank, Galen's on the right, I will hit the line hard pull back. He thanks God he was able to change his Omni-mech's loadout, as effective as PPCs are in space he is nearly certain they will be as effective on the ground.
Victor watchs the riot of color that was going on around him, Innersphere warships firing lasers all colors of the spectrum, from blue to green, red to purple as silver streaks of the occasional gauss rifle projectile flies and the distinctive crueluen blue of innersphere particle projection cannons all lit up Tau Ceti's sky like young children playing with paint. It was beautiful in its lethality.
As his Overlord class dropship, FCS Cincinnatus reaches the atmosphere, it's gray color scheme tempory marred by the orange and red fiction heating. As he passes through the sky Victor sees every nation of Bulldog, as well as the mercenaries, fight in common cause, their weapons ripping through the insectoids fighters. Heavier ships such as the Avengers, Achilles, and Kaun Tis engaging Insectiod escort and capital vessels. The atmosphere glowed with the debris of destroyed or crippled Insectoid ships.
On the Planet surface.
Joseph with the help of Prince's medical crew sedates Sorcha "looks like we will be getting plenty of help", Sorcha "from Uncle Aertimus?", Joseph having overheard the chatter "looks like humans are coming to the rescue", Sorcha looks as stunned as a sedated woman can be "from earth?", Joseph "don't know, but doubtful, there are over five hundred starships in orbit with human signatures, and hundreds of thousands of fighters and dropships, last I knew earth only had a couple of dozen ships to include freighters", Sorcha "maybe their from the future..." she giggles at her outrageous comment. As she falls asleep Joseph readies himself to save Alesia and the other humans at the canteen from Myrell.
Myrell is not very happy with Lessy or how the battle is going, "well where did you get those reinforcements from she asks the tiny human" pinching her just hard enough to cause massive pain but minimal injury Alesia answers "I don't know", Myrell "there are five million pets, toys up there making my life miserable" Alesia smirks "well that's to bad", Myrell "it's ok, my family will go after earth and deal with them, even if we lose here your kind has lost overall, sad really since without you I couldn't exist, but hey we still get to see if Sorcha will come for you..."
Lessy has learned through recent experience just how evil and Insane Myrell Lenki is, the gore, overturned tables, the humans she has skewed with knifes the size of ships. She is afraid, but Alesia Nonahsdottir is even more terrified of what might happen to Sorcha or Joseph. She prayed she would die so that she wouldn't be responsible for the loss of her best friend or her boyfriend. The crimson fluid and gore on Myrell's boots show what lengths she will go to. Alesia could only hope Imperial troops realize she is a traitor and dispatch Myrell, with her if necessary.
The battlefield was marred with blood, insectoid parts, craters from arterially and airstrikes. It was a pretty world until half a billion insectiods invaded it. The rolling, lush, rich and fertile plains were nothing more than black and brown mud with the occasional body part, blood or gore from the battle. All things green, alive and vital had been leveled, burnt or crushed, not a tree remained, barely a patch of grass did...
Decanus Tigoni Belfsec moved from cover to cover, she was vaguely aware of how beautiful this world was. Less beautiful after the insectiod invasion, they had uprooted trees, they had ripped the grass from the rich earth, the lovely blue shading that was part of all planets on this world seemed pale and pallid when such life could be found. In fact, all life seemed to flee from the insectiods, even less advanced insects. She hated to feel this way, but it seemed her foes were a plague on life itself.
As Decanus Belfsec and her soldiers rested in a ruined apartment complex. She saw red specks and corpses in some of the rooms, first in horror than fear and finally anger she knew that any of those bodies could have been Ted. Her anger controlled, her fury focused Tig as she was known by her fellow Soldiers coordinated her two troops. She would protect her human kin and pay the insectiods back for every drop of human blood they had spilled! She and her Soldiers note in the distance other imperial Soldiers, Tig motions for her group to move toward the other Soldiers...
Antero's squad had been whittled down, he and two others were all that was left from his force. He watched as a second three Imperial Soldier element head his way. While calling fire on the Insectoids Centurium Antero received a message from the Avalonian troops that a large number of human civilians were being taken to a dropship near him. For what purposes, they didn't know, but it could be guessed they were going to be food to fuel this war. He watched with grim satisfaction as hundreds of Insectiod Soldiers were ripped asunder by his artillery support.
The prince linked up with Decanus Belfsec's team, "Decanus you look wounded maybe you should rest" as he points to a line of mostly intact apartments, he hopes there aren't red spots or human bodies there as well. He shakes his head "so many died, so much potential lost" the prince looks weary as Tig speaks up "Sir, we are going to need every soldier on this, and with my piloting experience I may be able to help keep that dropship grounded" she says with a satisfied smirk, Antero "I could order you to stay", Tig laughs "my husband is fighting those things out there" she points to the dark void of space, "I can't let him risk his life to save our people and not risk mine." the Prince smiles "I haven't ordered you to join, you can 'observe'" Tig nods and beams "I will be observing my weapons take down these frakkers... I mean I will 'observe' Sir." Antero chuckles, "well there are plenty of craters and ruins from which we can make it there, by all means observer, look for a path." Tig smiles she had been put on point!
It was into this hellscape of shell holes and ruined buildings that Centurium Antero ColVanos and his team of Imperial soldiers were preparing to liberate the roughly 75,000 humans captured, they saw the humans that were loaded in burlap bags and placed on an Insectoid dropship. Centurium ColVanos knew those poor humans were food for the Insectiods. The poor beings, having gone through so much, as he considers their current fate and how to rescue them, he notes two toy-sized planes flying over insectoid lines dropping fuel-air explosive, and inferno bombs on their front lines. The aerospace fighters, Stukas most closely resemble the Acolyte, it is a fair bit larger and very much bulkier.
The two Stukas loiter they show their wing insignia a Board Sword clinched in the talons of a golden eagle wreathed in flame with a sun blazing behind the eagle, the markings were distinctive even at such a small scale to him. After their bomb runs having scorched 10,000 insectoid warriors to death they pull off to the east to seek new prey, the Prince wishes them well.
36 mechs, little more then large dolls to him burn in between him and the Black Insectiod dropship. The ground on which they land is already festering, large portions are charred as Renny Sanderlin opens his mike and states "this is Brevet-Kommandt Sanderlin 10th Lyran Guards, we are taking up position north of indigenous forces, please coordinate local forces with me until Kommandt Cox and Field Marshal Davion can arrive." As Brevet-Kommandt Sanderlin instinctively leads his Battalion into battle, shifting with the terrain ever closer to the insectoid dropship.
As 10th Lyran Guards armored regiments dismount, the Titans notice a cohesion and esprit de corps they wouldn't expect from humans. Each piece of equipment finds it's place, every mech knows where it can find cover and advance to the next position of cover. They watch as the energy weapons are fired on the advancing insectiods, for a moment they halt their advance, then to ensure their rout the Guards disgorge their autocannons, missiles, and gauss rifles into the mass of insectiods. The Titans watch as the primary thrust of the invasion cracks and breaks under the coordinated firepower and maneuver of the 10th Guards. The feld grau painted vehicles and mechs advance as their aerospace brigade makes it station. With the fighters mostly gone they pick off leaders and key support elements allowing the guards to push forward wave after wave. Finally reaching the Prince Antero's position.
Antero's force of six titans moves toward Sanderlin's Mech "Brevet-Kommandt" the prince is sure it's a rank, of some weight, can you cover us, there is a dropship that is harvesting your people for food, we need to save them" he states with urgency, Renny "Roger, who is it that I am speaking to?", Antero "I am the commander of our forces here, do you have our flanks and rear", he notes a couple of four toy elements break off to support him "we have you commander" as laser and autocannon fire drop ever more warriors, Antero looks at Tig "lets save your husband's kin and lets live to tell the story of how humans untainted by titans saved the empire" Renny then patches in before Tig can speak "we have most of a company supporting you, is that enough", The prince smiles "Brevet-Kommandt it will be plenty, thank you and thank all of you for your intervention here"
As the two mech lances from the 10th cover the Titan's force rear and flanks, Prince Antero and his Soldiers make a concerted drive toward the dropship. They are aided by four Lighting aerospace fighters of the guards which strafe with their lasers and on the final push offload two tons of ammo each on massive cannon fire chewing up the remaining Insectoids in front of the titan's forces. Tig is able to permanently ground the dropship as the 10th Guards 199th Lyran Mechanized Infantry and the 2045th F-C Mechanized Infantry Regiments begin to ferry the captured humans back behind friendly lines with the Titans providing near cover for the Guards Mechanized Infantry.
Joseph watches as professional Soldiers of Task Force Bulldog establish a line defending the humans, and pour a withering fire into the insectoid lines. He had overheard something about a 10th Lyran Guards, who the Frakk were they, he sees four 'robot' toy elements covering each other, a humanoid-like one gives him what he figures is a salute, he apes it back the best he can as he gathers himself Myrell didn't make it hard for him to follow her. Lots of human blood, lots of death at her hands, if he can take her down with his rifle he will, but he doubts she will make it that easy.
Victor is doing something foolish, unwise, and some would call stupid. On the churned and muddy plains north of the settlement he is spotting for his six fortress class dropships. Each fortress has a long-tom artillery piece as part of their armaments. With nothing but black mud and clay left along with a million or so insectoids, Victor figures he can rain fire down on them without having to worry about friendly forces. He figures if he doesn't kill them, or break them up at least the shock and casualties the artillery barrage will cause will make them unable to counter-attack.
Over the next three minutes by adjusting the charge and angles the 90 coordinated shells all land in the same instant, hundreds of thousands of insectoid Soldiers are either brown to bits, wreathed in inferno flame, or both! As they shriek in pain thousands get a general sense of the spotter who unleashed this pain on their hive mates. Over half are dead, and nearly half of those who still live are wounded, most to the point of the wound being mortal! Still, they charge the man who caused them this pain and ruin!
Victor calmly withdraws, his PPCs and Large Pulse lasers slaughter dozens with every recharge. He might have bitten a bit more then he could chew, as he considers this, cresting the hill is a Devastator, he knows the Fled Grau scheme, it's Deceptacon Six Galen Cox's assault mech, fresh from the factory as he adds his firepower to his prince's.
Galen shaking his head and smirking "Vic, I think you are begging for me to give you another uppercut." Victor laughs "if you were serious about that threat you would have called me your highness or sire..." Galen chuckles "it's not enough for you to land first you have to get the highest kill count even though we both know you are "AVERAGE" as a mech pilot, I would say remarkably so at handling that Timber Wolf of yours." Victor grumbles sarcastically "my gunnery is above average thank you!" Galen just nods and smiles "it is above average, but you are much better at leading, and calling in support." Victor smiles genuinely "I just did that!" Galen nods and frowns "all by yourself, Vic you aren't an MI-6 Special forces trained Rabid Fox operative, you are the Archon-Prince and believe it or not you are a decent one with the potential of being the best!" Victor shakes his head and looks bemused "I am the only one to currently hold the title, so I am the best and worst!" Galen as they continue to work their way back to the main 10th Guards lines "You are one hell of a leader Victor, but keep it up and I will need to practice my boxing." Victor smiles "promises, promises..." as they reach the forward edge of the battle area for the 10th Guards, they see the 1st Kestrel Grenadiers and the 1st Federated Suns Armored Caverly form up on the Guards flanks. Now Victor thinks we have the bulk of their forces in a crossfire.
Victor and Galen having done their draw fire maneuver, the rest of the guards have landed he has 1/3 of the insectoid forces in a crossfire, his aerospace support is decimating the latest surge of dropships from the 'small moon' that is invading this system. Hohiro has landed the 1st Amphigean Light Assault Group, as well as 2nd, 11th and 16th legions of Vega. The light Mech Regiments have established a toehold on the hive ship. The legions of Vega were used to this having been formed in the dark days of the succession wars from prisoners and mechs one step from the scrap heap, they would raid high-value targets for one chance at glory and honor. Now two of those High-value targets were landing to help. Hohiro rushing to the front with the 1st and 2nd Genyosha had given the honor of securing the flanks to the 3rd and Davion Heavy Guards. Though they would rather be backing their own prince on the planet, both of the yellow bird's premier Regimental Combat teams understood and felt the honor that the heir of the Dragon giving them. That and they had to stop this ship before earth and all their human kin were on the menu.
Back in orbit.
Seminavarchos Tam was at the tactical station looking at the holographs and screens, she also merely had to look out the bridge viewport, silver streaks of aerospace fighters and gauss rifles, rainbows of laser fire, the unique blue of Bulldog's Particle Projection Cannons and all the debris that her fighters, Earth and Avalon's Acolytes and the Spheroids aerospace fighters had created from the thousands of light insectiod fighters Mk. 203 and Mk. 604 fighter-bombers. She was also getting updates from the ground, whatever their 'guests' had landed the tide had completely turned, the insectiods were now trying to self-destruct more than fighting.
Navarchos Bass leans back into his comfortable commander's chair (nothing beats fine leather even if it is a touch barbaric). His science station reading and listening into Bulldog, his coms coordinating between Titans (Seminavarchos Tam is still texting their 'allies'). He was happy that as old as the Gryfon was having been through numerous refits it was still modern and spacious. The classes before it were cramped as they tried to cram everything in, now they were consumer products or mothballed. Aertimues thought sadly it might be a Titan decade or two before they needed to modify the ships so that they could accommodate human crew members. He did think with a smirk, the modification would likely free up lots of space.
Navarchos Bass shares a look with Captian Gwenn and Lemm Tam, "anything new?", Lemm being taciturn by nature states the facts "battle has shifted in our favor, ships from the task force seem to be moving to intercept the hive ship..." Gwenn being a bit more expressive "hundreds of new types and sub-types of fighters, at least four variants of extremely effective fusion reactors, a weapon in common use that we only half know how it works, armor that is basic in its design but more effective then what we use. Navarchos even if we took it to Titan scale we noted a bombardment from six of their shuttles, ah I mean dropships that we estimate took out at least 600,000 insectoid Soldiers. They are small but their tech and equipment are effective even on our scale which is 24x theirs in height alone." Aertimus silently chuckles at the same answer given by two remarkably talented officers in two amazingly different manners.
The bridge crew watches as the inner sphere's warships begin to clear the sector around the Hive ship of supporting Capital Vessels. Blue bolts form Naval PPCs, a rainbow of Naval Lasers focuses on one Type VII Dreadnaught after the other. So overwhelming was this mass of fire, that after 15 minutes only the hulks of the 16 Dreadnaughts in the sector remained. As their aerospace fighters and assault ships clear the path Bulldog's warships begin to engage the type XI battlecarriers. Izzy, "those bastards are cleaning up, Navarchos there won't be much left for Gama fleet." Aertimus slowly nods "any word on the Acolytes?", Izzy "They should still be in the fight, but we have a lot more small tracks then we use to"
Ryan was recovering under the aid of some very attractive medical personnel. Their hue was close to his, their accents were strange "do you speak Star League standard English?" she asks, Ryan Carey shrugs at the Star League part, but whatever they put on his burns seems to be working. Beside him was one of those war machines that had landed, the tall woman pulls her helmet off and smirks down on him "hey fighter jock when we heal you maybe you can pilot a real machine like a Woman!", Ryan feels drugged but not bad whatever they use it's better at least in keeping him consense and calm "you have issues with men?", The Mech pilot chuckle "you all are ok, just women are a touch better that's all, I've been rude Major Danai Centrella 1st Canopian Cuirassiers, and you are?" Ryan "senior Lieutenant Ryan Carey Avalon Guard," he says with a smile, Danai giggles "you don't look like a Fedrat...should mind my manners a bit better Victor, Galen, Renny and the rest are good and decent folks." Ryan "Fedrat?", Danai laughs with mirth "Fedrat before they unified would be Federated Suns, now it's Federated Commonwealth, you ain't one of them, you're a local boy aren't you?" Ryan smiles, it hurts but it feels good as well "I guess you could say that", Danai smiles and caresses his face's good side "get some rest, we'll be linking up with your gianto friends and handing you over to their care shortly." Ryan nods "they aren't 'giantos, they are Titans, please be Civil." Danai grins "always Ryan, always"
Admiral Theodore "Ted" Martinez has gotten the good news Ryan's Acolyte crew did suffer injuries but no deaths, Ryan was the worst off and he was getting treatment. The furball was decidedly less so as "Bulldog" bulldozered their way through the Insectoid fighters (types 203 and 604) and capital ships, even now their frigates, and battlecruisers were forming up in a sphere to pummel the hive ship with their Naval Laser and PPC fire. His eight acolytes were at 40% power. He and the rest of the crews were taking out middling masses of fighters and Dropships, basically pruning the Insectoids. Ted would be placing a call to Navachos Bass in a half an hour, once the Acolyte's power dropped below 30%, either their speed or their firepower suffered and he would be close to that by then.
He wasn't looking forward to the call, though he and his wing had provided time and delayed the insectoids they were still in advanced aircraft that on the Empire side "pets" were not suppose to have, let alone fly. He knew Navachos Bass well enough that on the grand level he likely supported humans creating and producing such things as well as flying them, but on the here and now level, well there would be consequences for developing the Acolyte. Consequences that for him would be minor in the scheme of things, but for Niall and Daren well the could lose some very important friends (at least for a time) and be in some political hot water for a while...
Secretary-General Ridgemont was pacing on Eryn's hand, Eryn shrugged her shoulders, the battle as far she could tell was going well, it looked like a couple of the newcomer's ships were disabled, more by insectiod ramming then by insectoid firepower, and those ships were small toys to even her. She had good news Sorcha was safe and sedated, the '10th Lyran Guards' hand linked up with the prince's contingent while the '1st Kestrel Grendaries and the 1st Federated Suns Armored Caverly" were mowing down the insectoids. Eryn asks "what's a grenadier? and where is Kestrel?", Ridgemont "ambassador a grenadier is heavy infantry that uses thrown bombs or 'grenades' to open holes through enemy lines, Kestrel, not a clue, these boys aren't from this earth". Eryn "I can use a bit more information, I am going to see my husband, you want to come with", Ridgemount smirks and nods, Eryn "good, perhaps with our new allies we can move the empire further towards what we both hope it can be", Ridgemount "we can only hope"
Niall "those blue death rays work well...", Navarchos Aertimus Bass smiles "yes they do, now how many of those toy robots have they landed", Seminavarchos Tam "400, plus a few hundred what appear to be small tanks, they have even more inbound, their tiny ships seem to have taken out their ability to go into hyperspace. Niall "not sure if that's intentional or sheer luck, but you have to give to them, they are wonderfully coordinated, their armor is better then ours, and that cerulean blue bolt works better then anything we have." Aertimus smiles "this could have gone a lot worse, hopefully, those dozen or so 'fighters' that aren't moving are merely disabled, our fleet has gotten the 'push off' since they started to fight 'bulldog' in force." Niall "yes the Troji doesn't seem quite as impressive or necessary as they pelt that hive ship with shot after shot."
Focht smiles nearly 12 Mech Regiments and 40 Armored have landed on what they are being told is a hive ship. This Seminavarchos Tam is only sending text information and vital coordination information, the excuse is the level of damage to their fleet, it seems to Focht and his ESM that repairs are going well and that they are adding a good amount of additional firepower to the fight. Focht "communication officer, please patch in Brevet-Kommandt's Sanderlin's gun camera feed and communication records, knowing that a couple of them are building-sized might allow them to open up a bit"
back on the surface.
Danai remounts her Summoner, they had secured it through the Wolf Clan in exile for her use. She loved the Omnimech and being part of Bulldog was the only way she would have seen one for decades. Her spotter had reported on the 'Call for fire' that Victor did. She giggles if Omi Kurita wouldn't separate her entrails from her body Victor would make a good mate for her. He was smart, bold, loved his people, he would be a good man behind her great woman. That he rules several dozen times the number of worlds she would, was secondary to the 22-year-old woman. She smiles as she leads her two regiments to link up with those Fedrats as her Aerospace wing keeps the skies clear. She notes in sadness how the lush grasslands with small corpses of trees rapidly become a murky wasteland when they enter where the Insectoids had been.
Danai "1st Canopian Cuirassiers six, to Field Marshall Davion", Victor smirks, he likes Danai, a lot like his sister Yvonne, expect Danai is a female supemeramist, Yvonne is well Yvonne Victor "send it", Danai "one Acolyte crashed near our operational area, Caponian medics have treated are preparing to hand over crew to imperails, over" Victor considers this "Roger, just keep an eye on them, I get the feeling some of those imperails aren't very happy to see humans fighting even if it's alongside them...over" Danai nods and directs the medics treating Ryan and the others to not to leave him, Danai with a forrow forming on her head "Field Marshal it seems after your troops estblished their line and drove thier assault back that most of the insectiods are self-destructing...", Victor "Break, Break, Break, Yes Major, so what I was doing with my troops first, but since you got there, is clear the sector, take two, maybe three hours to ensure the areas is clear and start loading up your dropships OVER." Danai nods "Roger, sir then we fight on that hive ship" some good shots a glory she thinks. Victor "yes, Major and keep your self-save, don't think of the glory you will get, keep our folks alive and I will decorate you for your leadership which is how you should be decorated! Understand?" Danai sadly smiles to herself "Wilco sir, 1st Canopian Cuirassiers six OUT" She wonders if his brother Peter is dating anyone.
Prometheus pulls aside the largest living thing Victor's ever seen. As he does Victor is still thinking on the conversation he had with Danai, she's bright, level-headed, and will be a good leader for her people, though she is moderately "Kurtian" when it comes to martial glory. She would be much better off leading her people from the front and keeping them alive! He sees some of the remaining Insectoids with fight in them and fires his PPCs killing dozens of warriors. He smirks, 'need to keep her away from Peter' she would beguile him in a month, marry him in a year and have at least six kids by the end of the decade! He shakes his head, away but not blocked from, a bit of seasoning both will be fine he smiles at both the thought and shoots.
Prince Antero has almost gotten back to friendly lines with all 75,000 humans safe. He notices the mech beside him, little more than a squat robot-like toy, he sees the warrior inside focusing and aiming. Antero notes the Insectoids are again in retreat, he then proceeds to kneel and gently taps Victor's mech, He patches into his commlink "Thank you, we couldn't have saved all of them without you, we also wouldn't of all made out without you". Victor "no problem, once you are safe I am going to check the rear", Prince Antero "that's a good idea, may I ask who supported and save all these lives, including me and my soldiers?", Victor "just lending some firepower", Prince Antero "you did more than that I will let my father know of your and your soldiers bravery", Victor "we only did our jobs", Prince Antero "well you have a made a friend at our royal court, the heir apparent", Victor smirks "so your a prince huh", Prince Antero "yes I am, and likely have more power to make sure you and your soldiers are properly thanked for your sacrifices", Victor "you may think so...",
Prince Antero "who are you, by the way, I have spoken with this Brevet-Kommandt Sanderlin, good man, brave soul but definitely not a commander of this force", Victor "Renny he's a great guy, if I can convince my dad I would have him date my sister Yvonne", Prince Antero "So is this a class issue", Victor "kind of, my Dad would prefer a political marriage but if Yvonne was to fall in love with Renny he would back it or my mom would hide him", Antero "so you are from a prominent family back home", Victor "you could say that, due to an accident of birth I am likely to inherit my family's business, I keep looking to ensure I have the best folks around to help me and ensure our 'product' is as good as possible". Antero smirks some realization takes places "so your name friend" as he picks up Victor's mech and turns it around, the battle here nearly done. Victor smiles "I am Field Marshal Victor Davion", Prince Antero "I suppose Field Marshal is higher then Kommandt", Victor smiles, Antero sees the smile through the cockpit, Victor "it's in the highest range", Antero shakes his hand to the Mech's 'hand' just avoiding damage.
Antero "family business, would that be royalty?", he sees Victor smile and shoulders drop, Antero "well if it means anything you have to rule less then 60 worlds and 50 billions then I will", Victor smile sadly "900 worlds over 5 Trillion humans". Antero drops to his knees and hugs Prometheus "brother you are the answer to my father's prayers", Victor gets very uncomfortable "I am already kinda of engaged and I really like women", Antero smirks "I am already married, and I don't think your quite my younger sister's type, I think your touch small for her", Victor "I think I am really small compared to any of your ilk" Victor chuckles, Antero pulls Tig into the hug "Tig meet Victor Davion, Victor Davion meet Tig, Tig is married to human and has a son with him nearly 1000 times the size of his dad, and yes it's HIS son." Victor's mech goes into standby "you mean folks our size can reproduce with folks your size", both Tig and Antero nod, Tig "in fact the leader of this colony is the first such hybrid, Sorcha Freeman, you should meet her, I think she'll like you even if you are a royal", Victor "is she that sister you mentioned", Antero half-smiles "no, she's a Republican....", Victor "ah, well then I will have to introduce myself so that I can really annoy her", Tig "how would that be", Victor "using my entire title and name, like this I am Archon-Prince Victor Ian Steiner-Davion, how may I be of service", Tig laughs out loud "if I didn't have Ted, Victor, if I didn't have Ted..."
Sorcha slowly awakens as she watches a large toy robot pass by, it's squat, it seems to have pods on either arm and on its cockpit, it has a silly spooky ghost, that she thinks is very cute.
Victor is checking the rear, if they get hammered there they could still lose, he sees another of these giants moving on a group of buildings. His infrared picks up a smaller one hiding with what appears to be an unconscious little human, she's clutching her a bit to tightly and shaking, he doubt's it's to aid her back to consciousness to talk...
End Notes:
The fight has started, it looks good for humanity as whole, but what is lurking around the corner in the Jumpships of Bulldog and the Titan Capital of Tuaut?
Thank you for reading!
Chapter 2-Battle's end, War begins by Bigdawg K
Author's Notes:
The battle against the insectoids has become a war. Victor and Taskforce Bulldog are taking up the challange and leading from the front. Omi Kurtia Victor's bride to be takes it upon herself to liason with the Titans, what will she learn from their interaction what skeletons are the Titans hiding?
Chapter Two
Battle's end, War begins
I can't blame Victor he did everything he could, but I wanted to, I really did. Then I unleashed HELL on him and I think back to what dad said about being careful what you wish for you may just get it. I really didn't mean for him to endure that, I really didn't mean to wish for him to share my pain.-Sorcha Freeman
Hohiro and Kai had done a good job of eliminating the first groups of warriors. With roughly 100 regiments of all sorts, they were easily dispatching over a million warriors an hour without expending any ammunition. They could keep this rate going for days, as more and more companies, battalions and regiments landed. Shin was liaising with other commands to set up a rotation in which a formation would fight for 12 hours, be pulled from the line for 10, it would rest, refit as it needed (the most dangerous warrior was hand to hand, and Hohiro had worked with other commanders to ensure there was no hand to hand fighting, their lasers were little better than the laser tag they used to practice against, fatal to unarmored infantry, barely scrapped the paint against armor) then re-enter the line for two, rinse and repeat.
The Hive had never encountered such a foe, well ordered, amazingly disciplined, these human soldiers did not flee even though their warriors were nearly ten times their height. These Soldiers held their fire, their fusion power plants easily had all the hydrogen they needed, their lasers, particularly their blue bolts (PPCs) easily shredded warrior armor, ship internal, components, they could do this all day within their perimeter, as more of their troops landed the easier it was for them to expand that perimeter and keep them rested and resupplied.
The fighter and assault ship screen was beginning such a rotation, 1/3 third on station, they have recovered those that were disabled, only a couple of deaths, and a couple of injuries so far, they had spare pilots and the worst damaged fighter would be back online in two days. They had refueling dropships ready and escorted, they weren't using ammunition, they didn't need to. Their energy weapons were more than adequate and they didn't burn through hard to replace consumables.
Navarchos Aertimus Bass smiles at his wife and General Secretary Ridgemont as task force Bulldog slowly churns through the insectoids. "Their fleet is getting into position, to use their energy batteries against the hive ship", Eryn nods "so they have gone from combat to slaughter?" she chuckles, Aertimus "nothing so cruel, it's still combat, but it's that the insectoids have gotten themselves trapped in a very large laser and help me, Niall,", Niall Freeman beams "Particle Projection Cannon, aye it's a great idea, need to add it to my Acolyte project", Aertimus smirks "if you survive what my sister your wife is going to do to you for not one having her involved and two not telling her about...",
Niall looks down and very guilty, Eryn uses her pinkie finger to help raise his head "we understand, we all do, but it does look bad, even if you bought us the time to save the colony, we know there are many titans you should NOT trust, but it hurts that you didn't share it with those you knew you could" Eryn holds up her other hand "it's not about keeping us out of trouble, or that we'd tell you to stop, those are your reasons and they are valid, it just hurts that those who struggle with you, who love you, who are your family you had to hide this from, we could have come up with something you know". Niall nods "but none of you, even you Eryn were denied personhood or can be killed because one of you had a bad day", Aertimus looks at his brother in law "we know Niall, we know that's why even though we are angry, and Naskia is going to be if she's isn't already very upset with you. Doesn't mean we won't forgive you, but you know we'll be watching you and Darren a bit harder" as he gentle muses Niall's hair "it helps that since you are not persons you can't be tried for treason..." he chuckles seriously.
Sorcha had a headache it had been five minutes since she saw the 'robot'. The medic "hey now, hey just stay down", Sorcha, looks at the badge Gorge is his name "While 2nd class Medic Gorge, I have to get up, my 'friend' sedated me and is looking for our other friend", Gorge smirks "they shouldn't be hard to find amongst the Human-sized buildings", Sorcha's anger flashes "one of them is human you nit-wit", Gorge "I didn't mean anything by it, was it a pet", Sorcha's growth could be measured by her not hauling off and knocking the medic into next week "You IDIOT they are people, that their souls are in smaller and more fragile packages doesn't tell me they are PETS!!!" it takes a physical effort for her not to lift him off the ground and throw him. Gorge "ah, ah", Sorcha rises to her full height and demonstrates what a hybrid her size can do by bending the crane that Joseph left into pretzel, Gorge curls up saying "sorry, sorry", as her head clears she leans into his ear "you know I am half-human and if I ever hear you calling a human less then a person again Gorge you may end up looking like this" as she motions to the crane. Not really having time to enjoy Gorge's epiphany Sorcha moves off to save her lover and her best friend, she thinks where that robot went was where Joseph moved off to.
Joseph was trying to be able to get a clean shot at Myrell, it wasn't working, though she had hit him with a couple of knives. At this rate, he would have to charge and risk Alesia life as well as his.
Myrell was enjoying herself, Joseph was a brilliant idiot, he couldn't commit without risking his life and the life of his friend so he kept trying to find a third way, and she kept putting a knife in him. "Alesia isn't going to last much longer" Myrell chuckled, "but that's ok she's only human, might as well harvest their eggs and sperm and kill them, be more merciful then seeing how inept and incompetent their hybrid children are even with all their size and gifts". Joseph hadn't slept well for weeks, and though he thoroughly enjoyed what he and Sorcha had he was even more bone tired because of it, Myrell hit's his left forearm with another throwing knife, "we all know it takes hundreds of you clods to make one of me."
Sorcha walked through the debris and gore caused by Myrell and the insectoids, she could feel her anger rise. They would all pay, as she began to move faster, she could see the crushed human bodies, the ruined apartments. Grief began to overcome anger as she knew that in part she had failed them and allowed them to come to such a fel end. Sorcha used the grief to further fuel her anger at the Traitor and her Insectiod allies before she would flagate herself she would rip all those who hurt her charges, her friends to shreds, THEIR gore would spill, THEIR lives would END! She would become an avenging Half-Celtic goddess of rage. Then she would mourn all those she lost and hate herself later till then there was vengeance to be extracted from those who hurt her kin!!! As she began to jog toward where she thought... Sorcha could see in the distance Joseph, he was hurt, weary, just holding on, she had to make it to him before it was too late.
Victor was watching the combat, he ached to engage Myrell, but the human she was holding hostage would be killed by his firepower, he tracked her, slowly moved when she did, though just an average pilot and an above average gunner, his mastery of tactics more than compensated. He read that she would attack the poor giant soon and finish him. He would try to get a shot in before she got in close, but she moved with skill. Once she discarded the human (He hopes alive) Victor has her...
Joseph was exhausted, he had lost a lot of blood, been through the highs and lows of battle, if he was rested he would have sought out some imperial troops, or those robot toylike things, but he was tired beyond measure, this was the fifth or sixth adrenaline rush of the day that was fading, all he could think of was somehow neutralizing Myrell and hoping to God that Alesia was still alive, too many humans had died this day, his universe, hell the universe had changed when over 500 starships arrived with 5 million soldiers, he just wanted her to see it, just wanted all humans to see what they were capable of. Without these troops, the losses would have been greater, without these humans the empire may be on the way to extinction, at best desperate measures would have to be considered...
As he feebly attempts to move from cover to cover Myrell places four more throwing knives into his joints, two in his knees, two in his elbows, all is lost he thinks as Myrell gently lowers Alesia to the ground Myrell smiles to her "I will deal with you after I deal with Sorcha's boyfriend"
Victor in Prometheus sees she drops her hostage, he aligns his weapons and pulls the trigger...
It's too late Joseph nearly immobilized and in pain to such a degree that he can barely avoid passing out, he no longer has to worry as Myrell places a dirk through his heart. As she does Victor's Large lasers and PPCs, evaporates her left arm.
Sorcha cries in horror "Joseph, Joseph" she yells falling to her knees, she forces herself up and heads for Joseph.
Myrell just grins as she saws the dirk out of Joseph slicing through arteries, and nerve tissue. She pushes herself up showing Victor the gore and blood dripping from it. Myrell sings "oops, it seems I stole his heart..."
Victor doubts the clans' medical tech could save him if they had a full trauma team his size here. Victor says a small prayer "God watch over his soul as he comes home to you" like his father his faith in the New Avalon Catholic Church is strong and his belief in the Unfinished book resolute. He does not hesitate to end the threat as Myrell is trying to carve Alesia, His lasers and PPCs end that as her chest is converted to water vapor and carbon dioxide, her black heart is now truly that a lump of carbon...
Sorcha cradles him, he's cold, "don't die on me, don't die on me Joseph" she mumbles, Lessy starts to move toward her, Prometheus answers Victor's call and heads for her as well.
As he stops and begins to unstrap so he can help, his mech is kicked, Sorcha catches his eyes with hers and gets up and pushes Prometheus back, "get away" she yells, as she shoves it, "why didn't you save him?", her grief momentary blinding her to the fact he had done everything within reason to save both him and the human captive.
Lessy watches as her best friend prepares to rip the mech and pilot that had saved her life, maybe even Sorcha's. She can't move fast, but she only had a football field to cover and Sorcha had covered half it in two steps. She began to climb and hit her left foot, Sorcha looks down on her.
"Lessy" she mutters, as she picks her up with the utmost delicacy "are you ok" as she brings her to Sorcha's face. Alesia "WHAT are you doing?", Sorcha looks around, Victor has backpedaled about 20 meters, his arms and weapon pods facing down and disengaged "what do you mean", Lessy "this man just saved me! He tried to save Joseph, are you trying to kill him?" Sorcha didn't think she was trying to kill him, the mech was well built and sturdy, but as usual her anger blinded her a bit to what she was doing.
Victor noticing things were stabilizing backs off a bit further "ladies, I am sorry for your loss if you don't need me I will be rejoining my forces". Sorcha looks hard at the 1/10 scale 'model' her desire for physical vengance spent, but something dark, mean and angry slips out of her mouth "I only hope you feel my pain, that someone you care for is lost and then maybe you can help me, now just GO!". Victor not wanting to hurt or kill someone who is grieving the loss of a loved one moves out smartly and stops just long enough to say "I am sorry"
Lessy "what kind of monster are you Sorcha?", Sorcha blinks as if whatever evil spirit that possessed her had left "what", As hurt, tired and scared as Lessy was she wasn't going to let Sorcha get away with it "The man just saved my life, protected yours and tried to save Joseph, and you told him you wished the one he loves most dies so that you could be even". Sorcha thinks, she moves to protect Lessy with both hands before she falls to her knees, "Oh my God what have I done... What did I say... Lessy your are right I am monster....". Lessy "there is only about 50,000 of those things in and around Tau Ceti, you can apologize to him later," she says with the vast amount of sarcasm.
Sorcha remembers what she saw, he had gray-blue eyes, they were beautiful, he had adorable sandy blonde hair that was in a military cut, she couldn't see much more than that since he wore a helmet. His face was filled with compassion for her and she spits venom and hate on the poor man. If she ever got the chance she would beg his forgiveness and work even harder to control her titan anger.
In orbit.
Omiko Kurita was feeling quite useless, she could 'competently' pilot a mech, their father had ensured that but as the battle went now she would be more a hindrance than a help, Her bother was winning on the Hive ship, Victor had secured planetside with the help of indigenous forces. He was linking up with most of the 10th Lyran Guards to open a new front on the Hive ship with 80% of the 1st Kestrel Grenadiers and 1st Federated Suns Armored Caverly. He would leave two reinforced companies of each Mech Regiment to aid in securing the world (mopping up was already mostly complete) and assist with recovery. She had heard from him and he sounded down. She couldn't help him as he would be in battle and she was trapped on the DCS Lotus Petal a Monarch class dropship, with virtually all the fighters now supporting the attack on the hive ship, the space between the local fleet and theirs was clear. "Master Finn, could you make it through the wreckage to those rather large ships", Finn "of course your highness", Omi "please make it so", Finn "my pleasure" Omi "thank you"
Niall was getting an earful from his wife "why didn't you tell me! What am I the enemy? Come on if I had helped I wouldn't have been caught! Don't tell me you love, No, No Petal you don't deserve to call me that for at least a week!" it was penance he knew had to endure, all he could say was "sorry", "forgive me", "You are right", "of course dear" all variants of "yes dear". "My God I know even if the act had passed it would be slow and painful, but why would you think I would side or even be neutral with the bigots... Also, we work better together, you know I would endure anything for you! Why do you think I am so angry! Niall, you frustrate the hell out of me".
Then fifteen minutes later "I love you Niall, I understand why you did it, and I understand why you left me and the family out of it, I will forgive you in time, but I am going to be angry for a bit, and you know not to push an angry titan don't you". It was a warning, not a threat, the last time he pushed her he flew across her room and nearly died, she still felt very guilty about it and would warn him when she was getting a bit perturbed so that he could help her not be triggered.
Niall "I love you Naskia", She smiles "I know you do Niall", Niall "no sweetie" begging, Naskia smiles meanly "nope, you don't deserve it, I will let you know when you do! I am heading out to link up with you and we will discuss this a bit further and then work on all the areas you skipped to get those reactors online, you humans always in a hurry, you miss 80% of what you can make after the breakthrough". Niall "but we make the breakthrough faster", Naskia smiles lovingly "of course you do sw... Niall, but you need a titan to get everything out of it, and without your speed and intuition Titans like me would be lingering on a small bit by small bit. I will see you in a couple of days, remember I Love you and that I am angry with you". Niall nods "Love you and see you soon", he had made progress she almost slipped and called him sweetie, he had a titan week of being roughly handled, she may even at the end make him endure a game of Tupp and Shaar, though it had been decades, she was frustrated and he could tell she wanted to show him who was physically dominate without hurting him (too much).
Not that he would enjoy it over much, but that one last time with her in her full glory and power as scary and frightening as it was, it was also the sexiest and most arousing thing he had ever seen...
FCS Cincinnatus Overlord class dropship, Victor was going over the data from CSS Invisible Truth, the simple fact playing out is that Innersphere and Indigenous forces (still haven't gotten more than coordinating texts from this Seminavarchos Tam) had destroyed, captured or incapacitated all ships outside of the "hive" ship and had that ship on the ropes as well. 33% was held by 30 Mech and 200 Armored Regiments. They were on "shift" Duty, 15 Mech and 100 armor regiments would engage and drive slowly forward 15 Mech a 100 armor regiments would rest, repair, replace the few wounded pilots, rotate back in the recovered regiments, Light armor, mechanized and infantry secured Foward Logistical sites or FLS(s). Only when making a large advance or having to deal with a large insectoid force did they expend ammo, and only sparingly, they had enough for a long campaign against the Smoke Jaguars, but half a billion roaches (the inspired commentary of a Cappallan Mech Warrior which stuck throughout the Taskforce). So far only two of his task force members had died in this battle, both aerospace fighter pilots, one form the Marksen March Militia, the other from the Phest District militia. It was one area that Focht and he had lowered the regular rigorous standards. The parity between Clan and Sphere fighters and pilots had the task force culling militia forces for additional aerospace assets for an advantage in the skies.
The 'indigenous' forces had 30 of those giants killed or wounded, eight that had died were civilian, one was Prince Antero and the other was his pilot Tig both wounded but were going to make it, nearly 40,000 humans had died, 10,000 went down fighting to save their kin and allies. The Cruisers and Battlecruisers had taken up a sphere around the massive ship and continued to pour Naval PPC and Laser fire into it. The Fire Control observers were doing an excellent job, hitting just close enough to disrupt (through several bulkheads) massing insectoid counter attacks while staying far enough away to avoid friendly fire.
Victor informed Hohiro that he would be landing in 20 minutes and would have two and a half regiments with him, Hohiro laughed heartily "so the Yellow Bird will fight alongside the arm of the dragon we'll be invincible brother." The myth went that only the "Yellow Bird" or House Davion was the only worthy foe of the Dragon or House Kurita, the union of those two houses would to the common Combine soldier like produce an invincible Combine, his Federated Commonwealth Soldiers weren't so eager, again with the Draoncis, Skye and Tamar Marches revolting... "Hohiro my friend let's save the Yellow Bird talk for when we are drunk and truly brothers and we are magnifying our deeds to our respective children", Hohiro grins "I could 'lessen' your disquiet and begin courting your sister Yvonne", Victor laughs his head off "oh, that would go WELL, not that you are not worthy of courting her but do you really want to go through what your sister and I have", Hohiro smirks "oh, I wouldn't court her simultaneously I would wait till after all the mess was cleaned by you and Omi", Victor shakes his head "Maybe dad and I should have introduced Yvonne to you while we were at Outreach, then you could be the pioneers of each family", Hohiro nods "Hai, but she was a touch young then", Victor half-smiles "as my experience shows you would have needed the time, by now you may have gotten your first kiss...",
Omi clicks in "it is wonderful that my brother and my beloved get along so well" Victor and Hohiro nod together "it is due to you that we do" they say together, Omi smiles mischievously "be careful Hohiro my brother, though we fight alongside giants here, Yvonne is nearly as tall as a Titan and even brighter then Victor", Victor nods, Hohiro merely smiles lady Fonia will almost certainly be his wife, but Yvonne would be a good match for the best of men, maybe... Omi "Victor, Brother I go to meet our 'allies' I will keep you informed, I doubt I have need of my escort, perhaps they could be put to better use elsewhere?" Victor wants to tell her no, but having fighters in proximity of 'allies' who send text may be the spark they sets off a second powder keg, his beloved is wise, Hohiro answers for him "yes sister, we can please vector them to CAG Invisible Truth", Omi nods "Hai!"
Ted Martinez has had a very uninteresting four hours, whomever the fuck these newcomers were they knew what they were doing! They grided, marked and eliminated the insectoids area by area with such precision it was amazing. He wished they had shown up a couple hours sooner, then he would still have all 12 of his Acolyte wing. He was still going to hear about their formerly top-secret project, but being an earth military officer he would get sidelong glances from the imperials for the rest of his life, which he was already getting. His eight did need refueling so that they could add their pistol rounds to the churning gattling cannons that the 'Piette' warships and robots were unleashing. He doubted that Aertimus Bass was going to be welcoming him with open arms when he arrived at Gama fleet, he and his pilots would be in for a good dressing down. He notes an aerodyne dropship heading for the Gyfjon. "Civilian dropship, civilian dropship you are in a war zone without an escort, please head to closest secure area" Ted broadcasts, Omi smiles "Thank you for the warning, we are heading for a secure area, the ships of the indigenous forces, are you one?"
Ted knows Tig would smack him silly, but he's just seen one of the ten most beautiful human women in his life, Her Safon Kimino with Sunbursts and dragons, Fists and dragons, and some just dragons accent her figure, her smile is full of mischievous joy, her long jet black hair styled in a 'western' fashion, her steel blue eyes to die for, he had to shake his head twice not to be bewitched by her. Ted "I am General Martinez ma'am, I suppose you are from that task force", Omi "yes, I am sister to one of the commanders and engaged (she lied a bit) to the operational Commander, since they are occupied fighting your enemy I thought it would neighborly to visit our allies since it seems they have communication issues within their fleet." Ted thinks Tam has had no issues communicating with him "yes, let me check that, your name by the way", Omi shyly smirks "Omiko Kurita Keeper of my house's honor and head of the order of five pillars, not that the second title would mean anything to you, just think of it as a coordinating staff to assist my lord and father Coordinator Theodore Kurita in the management of the state" Ted smiling thinks, of course, she's engaged and she's a princess, well it didn't matter he still had Tig.
Lemm Tam was doing her best to avoid the human fleet's questions and visuals, they had seen the prince's contingent, they could factor his size to their fleet, but there was a lot of issues that had to be handled delicately and the more information flowed the more likely some of her Titan issues such as humans being pets, humans being things might not go over very well with task force that is crushing a foe that would crush nearly the entire imperial military. After they saved their collective hides they might be tanning it, not that she didn't think some of the tanning wasn't due, it was, but having seen the professional soldiers, the smart commanders, the brilliant operations and the genius level commanders, well they needed to ensure the information was contained until they could explain and act VERY HASTY for Titans and revisit the Zeramblin Act as quickly as possible, that or they, Titans could quickly end up second class citizens.
Tuaut Archavia
Forna Qorni was sitting in her Floor Leader's office, an office she had fought long and hard for and for which she still only tenuously held. The office was spacious and had nice dark wood chairs to match the wonderous and heavy desk. It was said the Desk of the Floor Leader was made from the timbers of the first Amenti flagship upon the formation of the Archavian Dominion. The office though in a reasonably modern building was filled with such traditional and antique items. Items that provided the Empire with Strength and Traditions, the Floor Leader saw no need to change what was working. She was of the Conservative mindset that only after long and very studious research and planning should change be introduced. Humans(at least the 'wild' ones of earth and Bulldog) were the intellectual equals of Titans. That they were pathetically small and easy to kill didn't change matters, but it did justify her slow walking human rights to 'protect' them. That's why Bulldog was such a shock, humans in the vehicles they used were more than capable of defending themselves which made her position much less secure both ideologically and politically.
With Bulldog's arrival Floor Leader Forna Qorni was of two minds, she was ecstatic that the hive ship was beginning to be destroyed, that imperial losses were kept to a minimum, that they had a potential and powerful ally in what was a new war. That they were human, they were professional and that they were definitely capable of faster than light travel (jump travel but FTL none the less). Their losses were two aerospace pilots and plates of armor, if they knew what the empire did to their kin... well the insectoids may have destroyed them entirely, but this task force would destroy their society, Titan superiority GONE, Justification for keep humans as pets GONE, for .3% of the population their universe would be turned upside down!
As much a Loona Armac thought she was a bigot Forna was not adverse to slowly letting humans have more and more rights until they were citizens, just not this century, things had to be considered, thought about the best way forward, she knew from earth they as a species at least mentally were if not equal, nearly so to Titans, basically to quote Navarchos Bass "Sapient Class 1.01" in a Titan decade or so they would be 1 or so near there would be no point in fighting it. So with earth, the task force was basically class one as well, neither hurt the empire. With worlds like Tau Ceti, she could further lessen the number of humans in the empire proper. The slow concentration and removal from Titan areas along with migration to earth and their new colonies would make the question easier or even mute. There may be so few humans interacting with the vast majority of Titans that local equality laws could be enacted and the humans would stay in areas that welcomed them. Society would not be overturned!
All that went out the window now that this Task Force, Task Force Bulldog had arrived. Now they would learn of what Titans had done to their kin, it wouldn't matter how few (it wouldn't matter to her she admits to herself), or the context, or that their latest studies showed (which were merely rerunning the same experiments with the same controls and getting the same results), they had technology, they had discipline, they had numbers, five million could take over the empire in a year or less a few of her more cautious advisors told her. Some said they were Tupps in war machines not worth worrying about, Forna always listened to the worst case since the harm done by it not happening was less than the harm done by going with the best case and it is wrong. Better to be prepared than surprised, though she knew you couldn't avoid all surprises...
Forna knew the easiest thing to do would be to pass the Zeramblin Act and enforce it. However, if she called the question there was good chance that the government would collapse and anarchy would ensue during a war. She knew in her heart it was the right call, but there was too much danger, no a bill confirming the Emperor's orders on humans being nationals with another Tarsus committee, build support for partial fixes such as humans being able to work, let time and human effort (she knew they would in time succeed) make it works, then after a decade human ownership of property, voting in local elections, all solid and controlled steps that would not upset the ship of state. Her whip had 750 to 800 votes for national status, it would pass as soon as they could get the reps in the building, it was 550 maybe 575 for the Zeramblin Act it was just too much too quick even with all the new information. Titans just weren't ready for equality, they were ready to loosen the reigns a bit, let their humans begin to prove themselves, but not equality, even after seeing what wild humans can do and more or less coming to the conclusion that if they aren't equal they are so close as not to matter. Well except the Federation, but they had declared war as well.
orbit Tau Ceti
Loona would rather be on the floor of the house right now, she didn't trust Forna Qorni to do what she knew was right. The Floor Leader was going to put a half measures up to a vote, strengthen penalties and enforce of crimes against humans, she even wanted to place humans within the empire as a special category with further punishments for harming one, but she did not call forward equality. It was like finding a species of ant that was acknowledged sapient in the wild but in Tuaut ant farm... The Insectoids were getting her, the constant hum of laser and PPC fire, the grinding precision of 400 regiments working their way through the massive hive ship, sometimes she wishes her navy did not have nearly as good sensors. They could track Task Force Bulldog, but the help they could offer was pitifully small.
General Martinez was part of that help, well actually earth's help, but the Titans and this earth's humans were at least from this universe. They had formed upon DCS Lotus Petal and were escorting Omiko Kurita to the ISS Gyfjon, that and refueling his eight ships to put somewhat larger pistol rounds down range.
Master Finn finally gets permission to land the DCS Lotus Petal on the Gyfjon. Seminavarchos Tam is not happy, but Omiko Kurita is not a woman to be trifled with. She is steel in a very calm silk wrapper. Lemm knows from the coordination between the various nationalities of Bulldog that even with Victor and Hohiro being friends their respective regiments shouldn't be working quite as well as they are, but the units from the St. Ives Compact, the Draconis Combine, and the Federated Commonwealth, well unless you were military and you really knew what you were looking for (outside of Cantonese, Japanese and English being spoken) they all seemed to be of the same culture. They were not, but the integration was so well done it seemed so. The name Omi appears in each a lot, where it does not is with the Free World League and Capellan Confederation Regiments, they aren't working as well, they are professionals, they link up under their chain of command, but the camaraderie isn't quite there like the others.
Seminavarchos Tam sends 'commander' Izzy and Captain Gwenn to meet and greet this Omiko Kurita, hopefully, they can stall and not let too much of the Shaar out of the bag (it is Izzy and Gwenn somethings are going to slip). Bulldog has secured, neutralized or destroyed 45% of the Hive ship, they are already preparing to evacuate if the insectoids think about self-destruction, not that they ever have, but that this force is prepared for this, well it's amazing.
Gwenn watches what to her is a compact personal shuttle land perfectly. Whomever this Master Finn and his crew are they are able pilots. Gwenn would like more humans to greet her, but Niall is currently sleeping knowing when Naskia arrives he likely won't get more than the minimum. Mrs. Dr. Freeman isn't cruel, but she's going to make her point and make it well, some of that will be sleep deprivation, having Niall sleep on her schedule, Gwenn smirks that works for about 12 hours, then he has 72 hours to be awake, for three or four days, Niall is going to pinched, shook, water dumped, anything short of harming him to keep him on Naskia's sleep schedule. The doors open on the DCS Lotus Petal and Omiko Kurita walks out.
Omi keeps her shock in check, though not a soldier her discipline rivals the most experienced combat veteran. She sees four guards. two females two male wearing a dark green colored center with dusky or dirty gray outside, each at least 35 meters tall, one human riding on the right shoulder of a huge woman. The woman with a normal sized human riding her shoulder is in a Maroon to scarlet uniform with the same gray outer. While the guards and whom she presumes is the leader have rather large what she assumes is rank insignia three have what appears to be a single silver square and the one closest to the female in red has two golden squares. The female she believes too in charge has three silver squares and a number of decorations and what Omi guesses are qualification badges, with all the finery she assumes she's in charge here. The human is in a scale uniform but its core color is teal and she sees no rank or decorations on it save a Teal 'star' like device. Omi speaks projecting her voice as loudly as possible without screaming or yell "I am Omiko of House Kurita, Sister to Tai-Shu Hohiro Kurita Coordinator designate of the Draconis Combine, I am engaged to Field Marshal Victor Ian Steiner-Davion Archon-Prince of the Federated Commonwealth, I here to liaison with your forces and discuss our coordination."
Captian Gwenn bows, she is 'royalty' she knows, her guards follow her example "I am Captain Lauryna Gwenn of ISS Gyfjon serving with the Space Exploration Corps, I, my ship and my crew are at your service Lady Kurtia" Omi "though we are unworthy of such attention and honor we gratefully accept your hospitality and hope to be able to return such goodwill as we may" smiling broadly "it may take some rebuilding or refitting of our ships, your crew is a bit taller than ours", Izzy, Gwenn, and the guards laugh. Gwenn looking down on Izzy"Lady Kurtia, as you have introduced yourself as I have, let me present my staff, first Izzy Ibanez" Gwenn clears her throat "she is not 'officially' part of the 'fleet' but she is a remarkable engineer and troubleshooter and a great friend, the woman two silver square is Decanus Alih, the leader of the guards here, the three others are Princepses Doa, Aobl and Sliv, now I am going to place my palm by you, are you ok with climbing on it? it will be a long walk for one of your stature". Omi takes in the cargo hold, add about 50% and her palace of serene sanctuary could fit in it, perhaps the Combine's unity palace complex could fit on this ship with room to spare. after collecting herself and adjusting to the scale Omi says "Hai, that is acceptable, please call me Omi, I will never be Lady Kurtia, my beloved's name will be all the title I need". Izzy "your brother and this Victor seem to get along well", Omi "do they now" her eyebrows arch "how would you know this if I may ask?" she smiles coyly, Gwenn and Izzy glance at each other and thinks oops.
back on Tau Ceti
Sorcha just wants to rebuild, her sorrow and guilt make her efforts very ineffective Alesia is on her shoulder stroking her shoulder and hair. Sorcha appreciates the touch of her best friend, it's the one good thing she has right now "Thank you Lessy" she says through the sobbing and tears, as she places her hand over her and gently pets her "I have messed up everything, 40,000 humans dead because of me, seven decent and good hybrids/titans just as dead, I spewed venom at a warrior prince who didn't deserve it", Lessy "just one?", "well ours I was somewhat civil, this Victor, I don't know Lessy" Sorcha sobs "why am I such a monster...", Lessy "your not, you have anger issues, your mom did as well, my mom told me what your mom did before she got help..." Sorcha nods "I think wishing for the death of someone innocent because I lost my new love qualifies", Lessy "I think it's time to see Aertimus, and your dad, my guess is your mom is on the way as well", Sorcha "but I can help rebuild, I can start to make this right" she says with just the slightest undercurrent of anger, Lessy isn't having it "yeah you can work yourself into a lather, get angry with me and feel even more guilt once you realize what you have done".
Sorcha wants to be angry, wants to do something to fix things, she doesn't want to leave here, it just clicks, most of her issues stem from this attitude and she needs help "ok let us link up with our forces and get a shuttle", Lessy "really? you aren't going to argue, fight, etc" she smiles, Sorcha "no, if I had listened to Jonas many would still be alive, if I had stayed calm I would of thanked this Victor instead of blowing up at him, I have to deal with this Lessy, thank you for being patient with me" she finally smiles, Lessy hugs her best she can "We'll get through this Sorcha, we'll be ok!" as Sorcha delicately brings Lessy to her chest and hugs her softly "we will try Lessy, we will try, now to find us a shuttle", Lessy "speed on oh giant one", she smirks, Sorcha finally feeling better half-smirks "I resemble that statement." As she leaves, in the area she attempts to repair a Titan Robin flies with nesting material, an earth canary barely `1/24 the robin's scale lands by the Robin and a nest begins to form over time...
In Orbit
As even Sorcha's dark mood lightens, the forces on board the hive ship get relief in more than one way. Victor Reinforces the line with two mech Regiments (all ELITE) and four Armored, leaving the six infantry regiments to dig in and help secure the FLSs. As Victor's mech approaches the line Kommandt Galen Cox figures on the appropriate line "attention on deck", the Fedcom mechs mimic coming to attention it while continuing to fire "who are we?" asks Galen, the Fedcom units respond "Victor's Roughnecks", Victor chuckles and broadcasts to the entire force "I have one rule, EVERYONE FIGHTs no one QUITS, if you run I will shoot you myself", the Kurtian, Davion and Steiner forces laugh their heads off, Marik and Liao chuckle a bit. Victor "one of the most interesting films ever, Starship Troopers", Galen smirks "I thought you would like it, now for some Three Doors Down" 'Thinking back to the beginning of this and how life was', Victor "Not My Time", good call Galen, Galen "as good as that uppercut on Trell 1?", Victor rubs his jaw, "almost, my friend almost..."
Dr. Niall Freeman laughs at the absurdity of it all, "Crappy film, good line, better music", Navarchos Bass "we've seen that short before, it was so bad it was amusing, oh the fighting of the Insectoids and the fight against the bugs, and the capable commander" Aertimus laughs "it is damn amusing." They both know the gig is up and that Omi knows and will inform her Task Force that they have been listening in. It is only a couple minutes until CPT Gwenn brings her to the bridge.
Omi enters the bridge, her nation's command bunker in Unity palace could be fit in the communications and science stations. She smirks to herself these Titans do use quite a bit of space. She sees a spry upper 50s human, gray shooting through his once jet black hair his brown eyes focused on her before the Titans do. Tall for a human, he returns to his work with a couple of Titans feeding him data. At the command chair (looks like a nice leather one too, Omi suppresses a giggle) She sees a roughly average size Titan with a shade or two lighter hair then the human with a touch less grey as well, he's looking over reports and chatting with the human. Beside him is a tall dour woman who looks more like a chaperone for the crew than a member, both her and man in the chair ware similar uniforms to Gwenn's, the man has two 'comets' in silver going in opposite directions the woman has one in gold going left to right. Toward the view screen Omi sees the closest thing to a pixie she's ever encountered, except she's in a good business suit and skirt and over 100' tall, her brown eyes dance taking in everything. Omi signals for Gwenn to pause as she absorbs everything. The red-haired 'captain' nods and smirks as the liveliness of the bridge begins to slow down when they notice Omi.
Dr. Freeman "Pretty lass isn't she", Aertimus "I wouldn't know', Eryn "Niall you are in enough trouble with my sister in law and you Navarchos Bass know to keep eye contact... WITH ME!" she chuckles. Omi appears completely in control even though she is riding in the palm of a Titan's hand, one that is very nervous. Omi smirks to herself people are people, she will remember to tell that to CPT Gwenn, she is doing her best. Omi "I represent the soldiers, sailors, and airmen of Taskforce Bulldog, You will liaison with me and Precentor Martial Focht". Semi-Navarchos Lemm Tam "your, your Highness" she guesses she's a princess, "we can't", Aertimus interrupts her "Semi-Navarchos Tam is always going to be more cautious, we do need to coordinate our forces we are at current fighting a two-front war, if you could handle the Insectoids we can handle our own disloyal faction", Tam, Gwenn, and Niall look stunned. Semi-Navarchos Tam "sir they don't need to know that", Aertimus with a sad smile then folds his hands as he looks first to Naill and then to Izzy and states "their going to figure out or learn all this anyway aren't they Izzy, aren't they Niall", both Humans nod.
Omi "Well this is interesting please enlighten and educate this humble servant" she bows. Aertimus "it won't be pretty, we Titans have done many things we are not proud of", Loona finally pipes in "Aertimus don't I am as much a reason for their woe as the next Titan", Eryn "I have to break the news more often let me do it". The Titans come to a consensus Eryn has been doing it the longest, she walks over to Gwenn's hand "Lady Omi if I may", Omi smiles "certainly", she picks her and places her safely in her right hand "my lady" Eryn says sadly "after you hear this you may of wished your forces sided with the Insectoids", Omi frowns "then do tell and leave nothing out, for only with complete truth can we work such things out". Eryn nods slowly as she tells Omi the whole sorted history of interaction between Titans and Humans.
Omi listens, is horrified and at the end has a bit of hope after she looks over the crew, Aertimus, Gwenn, Loona, Eryn they all seem good and dedicated to fixing things, to let her kin have the rights they have earned. Omi speaks there is an edge to her voice that even being tens of thousands time smaller sends shivers through their spines "I understand you are attempting to correct this, and that you failed by one vote." As she looks at Loona in her finely tailored suit directly in her large blue eyes reading a guilt that the others can't Omi glares daggers at deputy floor leader Armac "the situation as it currently constituted is UNACCEPTABLE, you will rectify this as soon as you are capable of doing so, I am sure that Focht, my Brother, my fiance, and the other commanders will protect you from being destroyed by the Insectoids, but once they are gone and this is not fixed you will have to deal with us, we are not tainted by your 'protection' we are skilled in the arts of war."
From a simple look, there are areas that you are ahead such as eavesdropping and you will stop this if you want our help, there are areas we are ahead such as armor and energy weapons, if I had to press I would say we are a bit more advanced then you Titans. I think I have made my points, we will be civil, we hope we can be friends, but while our brothers and sisters are in bondage we can't sit by and allow you to drag your feet." Eryn nods, her eyes tearing up "we are sorry Lady Omi, what can we do". Omi "I must see this horror for myself and contribute to the freedom of our kin". The Titans look at each, they could attempt to stop her but her force of will is strong, she's going to find a way to contribute if it kills her and them. Sorcha and Lessy enter the bridge at the start of Omi's declaration and are in awe of the slight woman.
Aertimus looks up the campaign against the Federation, he picks one world were they have it mostly secured "here is the only world I can recommend, they will likely kill you on any other, we will arrange an escort, they will not prevent you from seeing what you need to see and help where you can, give us 168 hours to firm this up and arrange transport. Omi looking very angry "this is barely acceptable, I wish to have free access to your crew, your computers, and your charts, you will download all your information to our fleet, you may wish to explain and make the common soldier aware that you are attempting to correct things, I will communicate with our commanders and recommend we continue to fight alongside you, but you will stop listening in and you will communicate with us! Is this understood!". Navarchos Bass nods "CPT Gwenn, Izzy make sure she everything she needs, Lady Omi we will arrange quarters for you, and we are sorry", Omi nods "you should be, for what you have done you must atone, and I believe you will, Gentlemen and Ladies I shall retire you know where I can be found and you will let me know where you can be."
After 15 minutes Eryn sighs wearily "that could of went better", Loona a bit distraught knowing somehow Omi knows what she did... she gulps and recovers her composure "she is right to blame us, we are so much alike until you get to what monsters we have been to them", Eryn "most of us aren't monsters, most are just ignorant but that doesn't excuse it, if we aren't careful we may be in a bit of role reversal." Navarchos Bass nods and hugs his wife "I was scared shakaless with the insectoids and that hive ship, now I am only a touch less scared over our current allies, I have been scared and worried we might be at the end but never have I felt that we may deserve it and right now we do." Sorcha nods "for thousands of years Titans have been interfering with humans, you knew Uncle that one day it may come back to bite us, I doubt it was at this level, but we reap what we sow..."
Sorcha really wishes to know more about these humans, there are no Titans in their universe, she is sure Omi and the crew of the Lotus Petal would like to know more about them, we humans, hybrids and Titans.
It takes her only a couple minutes to catch up to Gwenn, she left Alesia with Izzy, the poor girl was exhausted and Sorcha knows right now she is exhausting to her friends. As big a bitch as Kiri is she might need to consult with her, she is the foremost expert on human and hybrid psychology within the empire. She helped thousands in her typical bitchy way, if she wasn't so professional on the job and actually helpful to her patients her mother or father would of 'dealt' with her decades ago. Sorcha chuckles it shows that one can be evil yet do good, and Kiri Miroppi is the best example of that.
Omi notices the not very light footed Sorcha, has Gwenn halt and turns to face her, Omi is talking to Victor, Prometheus is seen in one display and his face is a hologram in the another. Sorcha recognizes the mech, and will never forget the beautiful gray-blue eyes or cute sandy blonde hair of the person she cursed. Omi smiles at him as only those truly in love can "Beloved be careful, I understand humor and the need to lift morale, but do not be so silly that you or your men get hurt let alone killed", Victor "will do my love, and if they can get something with teeth to it that frees our fellow humans, gives them the right they should have as self-aware beings I know we can work something out with them", he notices Sorcha out the corner of his eye "Omi, my dear we have roughly 57% of this monstrosity under our control, I need to make to 58% or Galen will 'motivate' me with another Haymaker, you sure you are well", Sorcha swears she sees Omi tear up, Omi "I am well beloved, worry about yourself and your soldiers" She chuckles "don't make Galen resort to his patented 'Royal' correcting techniques" Victor "I won't, I love you", Omi "as I love you".
Sorcha is kicking herself, how could she wish such a thing maybe she should just crawl into a corner, get on the first available shuttle head to "Dr. Kiri's" office and lock herself away until declared fit, then find an abbey to do penance for the remaining 400 years of her life. While Sorcha is mumbling and looking down, Omi observes, "my lady what is wrong", Sorcha "who, me?", Omi giggles "I know and use the names of those I am introduced to, having not met you, I used the respective title of 'lady'" Omi then bows, Sorcha isn't sure if she's charmed or patronized "we haven't been introduced I am Sorcha Freeman", Omi "ah Gwenn has been telling me of hybrids, you are the first of thier kind", Sorcha "I am, but I identify as human", Omi "but you are Titan sized", Sorcha already getting flustred "after all my father went through, not say there isn't good Titans, my mom, my uncles...", Omi "you are of two worlds but live only in one, you have strengths they don't, however you have weaknesses as well", Sorcha smirks "I like to think I am the best of both, but more human", Omi amused shakes her head "well you are old by our standards, but quite young by yours, you I feel are almost there, If I can help." Sorcha feeling guilty "you know Field Marshal Davion?"
Omi nods and smiles "he is my love, my life, his honor is beyond reproach, his love for me unmatched, for his people unlimited for humanity all-encompassing, his is brilliant at his worst, all but a god at his best, I am wary of asking this, but I know it's right, if anything should happen to me look out for Victor, he is a good man, but he can lose himself to details if he isn't focused as he should... there are few things that could make him lose focus...". Sorcha "I might not be the best...", Omi "Victor let me know", Sorcha shocked "he told you what I said", Omi shakes her head sadly "no, not in words, but I know my mate, his least glance, slightest delay lets me know more than words, when you've known the other as well as we do for as long as we have it is fairly easy. I am sorry for your loss, your pain and grief, I hope they heal soon" she says sincerely. Sorcha looks down "I owe you and him an apology", Omi gently shakes her head "you didn't know me, you have nothing to apologize to me for, to Victor, well you know what is required of you...". Sorcha walks up to the side of CPT Gwenn "so I hear things were rough in your universe, lots of war, a dark age", Omi nods "but even in the worst of times we had hope...
End Notes:
As the war against the insectiods heats up so do the revealations, can Bulldog and the Titan Empire work together? Be allies or will either side's interal politics blow up and create another war?
Author's Notes:
As the Hive ship is reduced and made increasingly less dangerous, Task Force Bulldog begins to sort through all they have learnd. They also prepare for further war with the Insectoids and potentail conflict with the Titans.
Chapter 3
Logistical halt
With the Hive ship mostly defeated and the plans for the greater war against the Insectoids just beginning we have time to consider where we are and what is going on. Consider our next moves and where our pieces should go in 20 to 30 moves.-Precentor Martial Anastasius Focht
FCS Yggdrasil
Dr. Buckaroo Banzai, in his trademark grey business suit with a good ivory lab coat over it, his thinning gray hair still puffed up his sharp blue eyes were going over his tablet and reviewing current events. Doctor Marshal B. Banzai as First Prince Hanse Davion knows him is without his elite mercenary company, just he and his daughter Hauptman General Anna Banzai her chestnut hair tied in a loose bun with a navy pantsuit and light gray lab coat her hazel eyes having the same spark as her father's while reviewing the new data, but she has the sense to be drinking coffee she thinks with a smirk. Two genius level scientists who were to be retrofitting clan tech to the task force and coming up with effective solutions to the unexpected. That's where he and his daughter are hitting their stride.
Anna "pheromones", Dr. B "no, not quite, but it's a good start", Anna "so it's kind of like chemical markers through sub-space radio", Dr. B "So can we Picard this you think?", Anna "order them to sleep? small to medium scale, we're talking trillions if this one ship is any indication you think Prince Victor or the Precentor Martial will have an issue with 'nuking the site from orbit' or just hurtle a couple to 10 miles in diameter asteroids, you think the Titans have mass drivers?" Dr. B "asteroids, mass drivers both work, I am a touch worried about how the Titans treated all humans until recently and 'domesticated' humans currently", Anna "I guess it's the planet of the apes thing, 'we' started as pets and now 'we' threaten their society because 'we' are nearly if not as smart as the 'masters' are"
Dr. B "except the whole size thing, as equal as we are everywhere else it is very hard to show that equality when faced with something a thousand times your size, when you do it sticks look at this Dr. Niall Freeman, our universe his fusion reactor was a one-off, yeah he created several critical secondary systems and components, but it was Dr. Kearny and Dr. Fuchia who's work brought power, drive and interstellar flight together, he rose above what he did in our universe cause he had to prove himself an equal to his 125 foot tall girlfriend first, he faced challenges he never would have faced on Earth and had support he never would have had if he wasn't taken from Earth", Anna "so instead of a footnote, he's famous in the Empire and Earth", Dr. B nods, "so how do we avoid having bits of planet hitting the fleet when we strap on chemical rockets to huge asteroids..."
Victor avoids getting hit by Komandt Galen Cox, they have 62% of the hive ship. The Dr. Banzais want the ship captured so they can figure out how they 'tick'. Kai pipes in "yeah Doctor Freeman and Gama fleet wouldn't mind it either". Victor smiles "so they are finally communicating", Kai shrugs, "yeah they figured you and Hohiro were too busy...", Victor "Kai", Galen "Kai", Hohiro "Kai", Shin "Kai" all in sympathy, Kai Allard-Liao knows who he is and what he is capable of, but since their other friend Renny is on the surface, it seems Kai is being targeted by the 'new' allies as he had by the 'old'. That he's a Liaison officer not really a warrior, commander. He will have to show the Phalen Ward fight that should clear up the warrior part. Kai unconsciously manages to leave over 100 insectoids dead during the conversation, the next highest was Galen at 45... None of his friends doubted who was the best mech pilot and warrior amongst them.
Omi has been going over the information for about 16 hours, she's about ready to stop. Sol Diona, a system right on the border, a population of roughly 10 million, low hanging fruit was the term she would use, easy to take a low population planet on the border. Harder to understand the 'protection' Titans claim to offer, she had no doubt in the main they tried to do things right, it's just that their protection was closer to someone breaking legs to make sure their 'protected' is in one place to be 'protected'. Reverse Munchhausen syndrome by proxy had to be invented by the Titans she allowed herself a perverse giggle. The Titans would at one level gladly feed their charges mild poison to ensure they needed their protection.
Her family had several such examples again she returns to Kentares massacre. Her penance might come before she and her father had planned, but it was time for the Kurtian line to do more than command and lead. It was time for them to sacrifice and follow, John Davion was killed by her family a year after the noble thing he did, she may face death much sooner. However nobility of spirit isn't superiority, it is sacrifice and doing the right thing even if you are punished for it. She chuckles to herself Victor once told her no good deed goes unpunished, and for him, it seems to be proven. He could have found a nice and good Commonwealth woman, instead, he fell for the one he couldn't have, her. His friend Brevet-Kommandt Sanderlin married a beautiful woman, and only two years later... she died of cervical cancer, they wanted to have lots of kids... Kai, Kai is the sweetest most decent man outside of Victor, and his love a Dr. Lear, well she thinks he part of the problem being a warrior.
So many good people doing the right thing still getting punished for it, she has started to doubt karma. Her discussions with Cardinal McDonald had enlightened her and given her new avenues to explore her faith and the existence of God. She smiles she not fully ready to change over, but a fusion, she pulls her copy of the unfinished book, somehow she would of know it was a Federated Suns movement if she had never been told. All those freedoms yet they still migrate toward harmony. Well, good souls are good souls without regard to nationality, and if the Christians are to be believed a God of infinite love sacrificed everything for them. The least she could do for such a Deity is give all she had for her brothers and sisters, Titans included...
Omi continues to go through her 'precious' items, two of the newest are amongst the dearest. They are verigraph letters from her future in-laws. Hanse Davion was publically against his son marrying her. It wasn't racial or ethnic, There were African Davions, Middle-eastern Davions, Indian Davions, Native American Davions, even Asain Davions, her Love's line was prolific. No it was purely political the Dragon and the Yellow Bird had been at each other's throats for centuries, it seemed like there would be no end to their blood feud. Then she and Victor found each other, however, it seemed that even true love wasn't quite enough...
Hanse had found out about Victor's near death by assassins sent by the Black Dragon Society a week after it happened, and Omi's part in protecting his boy, that she killed one the assassins when she could have fled, he knew right there like Melissa taking control over the Silver Eagle incident that Omi was the one for Victor, he could fight it, or embrace it, he being Hanse 'The Fox' Davion embraced it (quietly) Omi chuckles to herself.
Even more convincing to Hanse was his wife's influence, her letter that just happened to arrive a day earlier than his... She thanked Omi and House Kurita for taking care of her baby (Melissa wrote her baby in the letter) and that if her husband continued on in his previous manner well she left that hanging... That Melissa believed Omi would be a wonderful member of her family and if Victor ever got in the way of 'her' baby's happiness well the Women of the family would support the course of action that makes the child happiest and what's best for them. Omi, Melissa writes is what is best for Victor and what makes Victor happiest, Omi could see the tear marks on the plastic verigraph. Omi is thankful she is in private cause everytime she reads the letter from her future mother-in-law she cries as well...
She thinks no good deed unpunished, but maybe God does allow Love to prosper! and such love can only lead good deeds! She gasps to herself "HAI Victor my love" her smile quaking. her steal blue eyes overflowing with tears of joy as she stares at the most precious and recent document presented her by Dr. Lear just hours ago, a perfect, growing and thriving child, a son, Conceived in love with her love Victor... Kitsune John Kurita-Davion she will name him.
CSS Invisible Truth
The Precentor Martial allowed himself the slightest of Grins on his face. His commanders were fighting the cream of the Inner-sphere's regiments as the masters he knew they were. He was worried about a second war following the one against the Insectoids, they couldn't very well leave millions of humans in bondage that was the point of Task Force Bulldog to free significant parts of the Combine from the Clans.
Focht felt that these 'Titans' had fallen into antebellum south logic, they ridded themselves of the slave trade, they were to their knowledge taking better care of those slaves that were left (they had to know like the southern slave owner no more were coming in, and it is easier to justify such evil by stating they were 'fixing' things), also they could point to those not doing as well that at least they weren't slaves, they were taking care of those that couldn't take care of themselves. Well, Task Force Bulldog came from a universe that didn't have Titans and by 2174 their Earth had settled 108 worlds according to the first Grand survey more worlds settled in just 66 years (first Jumpship 2108) than nearly all the powers in the Orion sector in just 21 years by 2195 it was more the 200.
If it wasn't for the loss of technology during the succession wars the Titans would be so overmatched that it would be like one of them physically fight a human, no contest, it still wasn't a balanced fight, but depending on leadership and other factors it was as of now it is like the US army in it prime against the Serbs, he has better equipment, he has more equipment, his doctrine is better, and his leaders are better. The individual Titan would crush a human infantryman, and a mech had to be careful, but a lance against a platoon, no contest.
He needs to call his commanders back the war against the Insectoids was not going to be governed by the Aries Convention, the one against the Titans if there was to be one, would be, even if they were backward slaveholding savages, they were 'human' and due to the protections of being 'human.'
2127 MA, Imperial Palace, Tuaut, Archavia
"It's as big as Jacksonville" Emperor Tiernan remembers Priece saying. He had seen pictures of Versailles and the Austrian Imperial palace at Hofburg. His palace at Tuaut was structurally and artistically similar to both, kind of a blending. More evidence Humans and Titans weren't that different except size. They had wonderous gardens, functioning stables, vineries, and wineries close by, orchards, large kitchens, even a couple of barracks for their guards. He sat as his wife entered the workspace near the throne room. The old wood and light colors of the walls, windows, and curtains at times clashed with the darker tapestries and cabinets. Much was old even by Titan reckoning, some were very new even by human standards. It was here that the ColVanos Dynasty ruled.
They ruled, worked and received news. That news was troops from another universe, one without their species had intervened and converted a situation that would of likely ended the empire. These humans had changed it into a walkover for them and the Titans they had rescued at Tau Ceti.
Emperor Tiernan and his wife the Empress Rajenlif are of two minds with the battle of Tau Ceti beginning to wind down, last update was that Task Force Bulldog controlled 73% of the hive ship, still two deaths, a couple dozen injured and just over 100 hurt mostly unarmored infantry, that and the occasional armor plate. That a hive ship basically designed to kill, destroy or conquer at least a third of their empire if not all of it, it was satisfying to know it had been so reduced that the Insectoids were losing cohesion.
It was less satisfying to know that these humans knew of their sins and had the power to completely change their universe. Part of both of them wished they would, they owed a great penance to their enslaved human subjects, both wished that they had intervened decades sooner, which was the greater sin to undermine the democratic process or to allow innocents to suffer even if they were a small minority the indignities humans had, they had been class one sapient beings for centuries yet even they were ignorant of it and then when the scales were finally lifted from their eyes they pretended that their fellow Titans would do the right thing.
Princess Rhonnie was walking to her parents' office with her human husband Priece on her shoulder. She was beautiful beyond compare to him, her long dark brown tresses, her lovely earthen brown eyes, her mocha skin smooth and warm to the touch. Priece was every day more in love with his wife, that she was nearly 25 times his height, well God either loved him a lot or had a sense of humor that favored him, he chuckles. Rhionne smiles at him, "enjoying the ride as usual beloved?" she asks with joy, He nods, she knows he loves being near her as she loves being near him. Unfortunately, this joy will be replaced with righteous anger, not at him, but at her parents. She looked down at the man who loves her with all his heart, has given her two wonderful children (she leaves out the difficulties his Human DNA wrecked on her body during those pregnancies, his love and her children made those discomforts pale in comparison to the happiness and joy she received). She looked over Priece as handsome and charming as when he won her heart at Bozedami College her love for him growing like his for her day by day. It still shames her to have considered him a pet, even with all the bias fed her, her size compared to him, it still hurts it took her so long to figure it out, that in every way which mattered he is her equal. It hurts worse it took her parents even longer than her as she enters their office her smile fades, the joy in her eyes are replaced with righteous fury, having heard the account of the battle from her brother she is prepared to prod them as only their daughter can...
As their guilt reach an apex their oldest daughter Princess Rhionne entered only to further remind them of their societies sin. Princess Rhionne "Father did you see what a greater Prince, Prince Davion did for our family?" Emperor Tiernan "yes my dear, he and his troops saved your brother", Princess Rhionne "Not bad for a bunch of pets is it father? Pierce don't you agree your kind did remarkable well for things!" Sarcasm dripping from every word as she paced angrily back and forth in front of her parents. Empress Rafenlif "Rhionne, show some respect!", Princess Rhionne "you both could have ended this decades ago when you knew Pierce was a person, you knew our people were either ignorant or bigots that they would not change unless forced, well there are five million Soldiers who may just decide we need to be forced." Emperor Tiernan "Hindsight is wonderful Rhionne, I thought with all the evidence, with all humans had done it would be obvious to most Titans they were worthy of citizenship, and the polls show 57% support it, I didn't figure their representatives would drag their feet or that the 43% who favored slavery would be more intense in their passions. I had faith in our people, their representatives and that faith was misplaced"
Princess Rhionne "you failed to educate them father, you made gestures and some proclamations but never did you place your popularity, your throne on the line for those being oppressed!" Empress Rafenlif "so for .3% of our population the universe should be turned upside down yesterday, we could only do what you ask by completely shifting society, just for the simplest of examples we would need new walkways, lots of Titans who never harmed a human would go to jail for 20 years because either they or a human made a simple stupid mistake, but if you step on a human it is now murder and you can't tell the human not to go into highly trafficked areas anymore as they are citizens. We all wish we could end the oppression yesterday and that we could make amends, it's just not possible innocents will be hurt if we aren't careful." The Emperor "Pierce you have been very quiet this impacts you the most".
Pierce was in a strange place mentally, he loved and adored his wives, and the children from their union could do no wrong in his eyes. The In-Laws the Emperor and Empress well he saw them in the same vein as his own mother and father. Though 24 times their height, of course, they had treated him well and in time as an equal. However, that didn't mean they always listened to him as he would like. They were never scornful or neglective of his opinion in conversation, but like all Titans even his wives Rhionne and Daz when they 'KNEW' something, they "KNEW IT" and little could dislodge it barring long thoughtful discussion and persuasive evidence. His acceptance as an equal took more than one of their years. Both Tiernan and Rafenlif sensed he was, understood intellectually, emotionally and spiritually he was, but it wasn't until Rhoinne was pregnant with their grandchild did it really settle in. They treated him fairly before but when the child in her belly grew, they finally had all the proof they needed to go from saying he was equal and treating him ok, to knowing it and treating him well.
That's why what he was going to say when they finally asked him for his opinion was going to hurt. He loved and respected them so much, but they had such blind spots that he had tried to overcome. They heard but never listened, they helped but never lead and now he was going to hurt them as if he punched them to the gut. He hated the feeling and wanted to avoid it, but they were smart enough to know if he held back and would be even more offended if he did so he was ready when he heard the Emperor ask "... this impacts you the most"
Pierce "your majesty, I can't judge you, but after first contact you should have daily spoken on this, five years ago when the house wasn't moving on it you should of, by now the systematic issues would have shaken out, there would be large issues to be sure, but if the law was enforced you wouldn't have a province nullifying even national status and it wouldn't be 43% it would likely be 25% opposed by now, the normalcy basis would reduce it, humans being citizens and living their lives would have become normal by now. You and the Empress have been good supporters of humans, but you have failed to lead..."
Both look as if they had been struck, both look into the other's eyes and knew he had spoken the truth. Emperor "it is too late for us to have any impact if we are too defeated and made 2nd, even 3rd class citizens in our own systems then to avoid harming innocents I will order the surrender of what troops follow me." Priece "I am sorry father, but I have been trying to nudge you to act without being rude" the Emperor remembers after first contact Priece "maybe we can be forthright with earth and free our humans in one communicate?", again "Forna Qorni was dragging her feet, maybe something from your office father?" The Emperor and Empress nod again they had too much faith in their government and their people to do the right thing, on this issue they had been dragging their feet even more than normal for centuries. They would do what they can to fix it, to include what they should have done a long time ago LEAD!
Hive ship +128 hours
Victor had to admire the efficiency of the Hive ship, everything had a place and a purpose. Fusion and Anti-matter reactors in the command module. Suspension modules for Soldiers not awake(they were either died or would be soon after his NAIS Cadre and Dr. Banzai tested their insectoid defeating inventions on them), command modules, refrigeration modules for things he would rather not consider, birthing chambers, it was a warp capable termite mound. A mound every bit as deadly to sapient life in the Orion sector if not the Milky Way as a termite mound was to the tree it feeds on.
He was somewhat surprised with the level of suicide by Insectoids that they didn't have a self-destruct on their command ship. It must have been inconceivable that the Titans or Humans would be able to capture one intact. Victor smirked, they never anticipated a group of elite human warriors pulled from the premier regiments of each nation in the Inner Sphere, that and 600 years of non-stop warfare honing them to an edge none had seen before!
As Dr. B. Banzai's NAIS teams begin to go through the wreckage and salvage to find out how the Insectoids tick and how to end them in an as efficient manner as possible. Every so often Victor got a chill from the professional scientists who work for him, some of them were even colder than the most callous mech warrior, but like a cannon as long as it's pointed a foe or emptied and placed on safe they were not so dangerous. The Banzais were actually close friends of his and his family, and he had DMI-6 the Rabid Foxes as well as LIC's Loki if he wanted to go into amoral persons, his spec ops forces were at least in the same tier as his most cold scientists if not worse... As long as everyone had a purpose and served the Six Liberties and the people of the Federated Commonwealth... Right now that was finding the Insectoids strengths and weaknesses and the best methods to exploit the weaknesses while eliminating their strengths. Dr. Banzai and his NAIS teams were as always on mission and getting results!
As NAIS teams comb over every piece of debris Hohiro Kurita walks up to Victor. Both men acknowledge the other, after the smart nods of respect Hohiro walks beside Victor, most of the ship was secure "amazing what we can accomplish together brother." Victor smiled "are you still displeased I took a liking to your sister on Outreach?" Hohiro laughs out loud and clasps Victor's shoulder "That my friend was the first strategic victory we had over the Clans, it opened the way for your father to save Luthien, for you to organize the Reverents and save my ass!... and this mission well as it was meant to be..." Victor kicks some debris and says with a slight smile "you cleared out those mechs that had me on Tiente..." Hohiro "the Yellow Bird came to save the Dragon, it would have been rude for the Dragon to let the noble warrior fall and fail his mission." Victor sensed there was more,
Hohiro looks Victor in the eyes "it was a shame you and Omi were forced to sacrifice so much for me." Hohiro says with a slight sob "My father and I, as well as my Grandfather and I, had 'discussions' on it, Grandfather Takashi saw the truth before father, but father was close as you know." Victor nods and allows Hohiro a moment. Victor changing the subject to avoid shaming his future brother in law "It's a good thing we stopped this beast, the Empire, Earth all beings that share a sherd of commonality with us may have become just so much meat." Hohiro nods "Now if the Titans realize what we have accomplished..." Victor nods and hopes Hohiro's sentiment was correct.
Kai and Galen were walking roughly a kilometer behind Victor and Hohiro. Galen "Kai you ever miss just being Solaris champion, those matchs were one hell of a detached 'duty'" Kai smiles broadly "yes it was, we were quite the team, you know Victor would have supported if you choose to stay." Galen smiles "I know but Hamlet needs his Horatio, Our Archon-Prince is among the best of men, he tries to hard to be every man. As do you my lord" Galen bows with some sincerity. Kai smirks "do you know how many martial arts my mother and father drilled in me, also I have gotten over the 'not good enough' Kai a bit and know I could kick your ass in a mech 1/3 your Devastator's weight, so as Victor would say, but I can enforce Cut it out!" Kai laughs. Galen "ok, but considering your training, a philosophical question..." Kai "how the hell did we get here to save at least 100 billion sapient beings? God only knows, but I am glad to be killing actual foes instead of my brothers..." Galen nods as he passes an 80' tall Soldier Insectoid, it had a PPC blast through its chest as if it was paper. Kai "George Patton would have said we were the right instrument, in the right place and at the right time, if nothing else if you consider it, it's a point for God existing." Galen nods "let us catch up with the Dragon and the Yellow Bird..." he says chuckling. Kai joyfully smirks shakes his head "Yellow is so not Victor's color..."
They held around 90% of the ship, only a couple 100,000 insectoids left. Victor, Hohiro, Kai and numerous regimental commanders had been recalled to the CSS Invisible truth to consult for the next step. Victor has kicked it around the 'brat pack' even the Cappallens the most repressive realm in the Inner Sphere does not have slaves, even their gulags respect some level of human rights. There is an understanding that the Titans came upon early humans with a level of technology that encouraged a level of arrogance as compared to their kin. That most would never deliberately harm a human, or if they could get beyond the 'pet' issue that's lodged in their head due to humanity's small size as compared to everything in this universe they would not have kept them enslaved. If they're barely moving cogs would ever just rotate once or twice more forward with regard to humans they would begin to grasp what they had done was wrong and start to fix it.
Hohiro "it's not that their cogs aren't moving Victor, its that they spin forever and have great difficulty overcoming basis", Kai "everyone has issues with basis", Galen shakes his head he's been reviewing all the data Lady Omi has gotten off the Gyfjon "these people don't just hold to their basis, they cling, grasps and clinch to the last breath. Guess that has to do with their need to drill down to the Nth degree, it's great to get everything but", Shin pipes in with the slightest smirk "when it's a dry hole you need to stop digging", Hohiro nods "at least with 'nuclear' level blasts (first contact, Assassination of Yamanu Neutha, many of the abductees, the Acolytes (soon)) they seem to be getting the message slowly." Victor "we'll help our kin large and small, then we'll see if the large finally get it..."
CSS Invisible Truth +130 Hours
The CSS Invisible Truth was a highly modified Cameron Class Battlecruiser, anyone from the Inner Sphere could tell you the boondoggle those ships were when first constructed by Daussault-Shimmon Enterprises of New Earth, yes centuries from now in their timeline a shipyard right here at Tau Ceti would produce this 859,000-ton ship. It would take decades of patches, adjustments, and overhauls to get it to nearly its performance standard.
That isn't to say it didn't have other uses, and one of the best use for it's upgraded technology was as a command ship. The Invisible Truth with Comstars upgraded communications and hyperpluse generator made it the go-to ship to coordinate operations in the system and with other fleets. With that ability, the 'redesigners' made the Logistical, Operational, Tactical, and Strategic holographic information system or LOTS is into a real-time, updating battle tracker. The Invisible truth could track, refine, coordinate and communicate with 100s of ships, Regiments, and worlds. As Archon-Prince Victor Ian Steiner-Davion approached the hub of it all each of his commanders had instant to instant knowledge of the whole of Bulldog. The nice oak chairs, Chestnut table, and Comstar off-white walls made the briefing room if a bit sterile a comfortable place. That and an assortment of packaged and cooked finger foods on the 20' by 20' table's corners, and a never-ending flow of coffee from the rooms six large (gallon) coffee machines! That alone made the trip to the CSS Invisible Truth worth it for these commanders, the FREE COFFEE!
As the Comstar system projected where everyone was at various angles. It was processing the battle plans and stacking them in order of presentation. Off to the side, commanders had access to their piece of the oncoming war against the insectoids either by wall unit (of which there were 40, 10 on each wall) or by a pad. Most commanders preferred pad for ease of use and having the information on them at all times. Brevet Lieutenant General Daniel Franklin was not one of them. Having done 'black' projects against the clans he preferred to have his data in one 'safish' place. Though Dan "Kujo" Franklin was an oddball in more way then that he and his aerospace commander were very data conscience and it showed as 38 terminals went unused while two data terminals were being used by them. Victor shakes his head as the last computations are completed by the Comstar LOTS is system and he can start the briefing.
Victor "Precentor Martial, you have the map of Insectoid territories?", Focht "pulls them up", Victor "I will take FCS Yggdrasil, FCS New Stryis(Avalon), FCS Indomitable(Fox), FCS Indefatigable(Fox), FCS Fox (Fox), FCS Antrim (Fox), and FCS Invincible(Fox), with these warships and our transports I will be taking up the center the 10th Lyran Guards RCT, 1st Kestrel Grenadiers, 1st Aragon Borders, 1st Federated Suns Armored Caverly, 1st Robinson Rangers, 1st Davion Guards RCT and the Davion Assault Guards RCT. Seven Mech Regiments about 25 Armored and roughly 130 infantry and support, we're going to go straight toward their largest hive, hitting the right flank will be LT General Gina Ciampa of the 15th Lyran Guards, she will have with her the 3rd Royal, 6th Lyran Guards, 1st Free Worlds League Guards and Comstar's 208th Division, 5 Mech Regiments, 20 Armored and roughly 90 Regiments holding and advancing on the left flank. General Caesar Steiner will have the 2nd and 3rd Donegal Guards RCTs, 1st McCarron's Armored Caverly, Northwind Hussars and Third Proserpina Hussars, five mech regiments 22 armored and 95 other regiments to hold the right flank and advance. Hohiro, please list your forces"
Hohiro "Victor, Precentor Martial, I will be taking DCS Shiro(Kirishima), DCS Siriwan(Kirishima), DCS Urizen II(Kirishima), DCS Draconis Rift(Kyushu), DCS Dream of Kessel(Kyushu), DCS Haruna(Kyushu), DCS Pride of New Samarkand(Kyushu), DCS Amber Lotus(Inazuma), DCS Night of Agony(Inazuma), DCS Swiping Claw(Inazuma), as my naval flotilla, we will be striking at hive assets spinward, I as Prince Victor will head for hive headquarters, I will be taking 1st Genyosha, 2nd Genyosha, Ryuken-ni, Ryuken-go, Ryuken-san, Ryuken-Roku, Ryuken-yon seven mech Regiments, 20 armored and 60 supporting regiments, To link, hold the flank and advance Tai-sa Mikail Breshnov will lead his Alshain Avengers, 8th Alshain Avengers, 11th Alshain Avengers, 14th Alshain Avengers as well as 42nd Galedon Regulars and 1st Proserpina Hussars, five Mech regiments, 15 armored and 50 supporting regiments. Sho-Sa Shin Yodama will lead his Izanagi Warriors, 2nd Dieron Regulars, 8th Dieron Regulars, 22nd Dieron Regulars, 2nd Legion of Vega, 11th Legion of Vega, and the 16th Legion of Vega. Kai will detail the forces he will be using to advance on the anti-spinward flank"
Kai "it appears my flank has the fewest insectoid worlds, so we will limit the warship componet as such we are using the CSS Montpellier(Dante), CSS Holy Martyrdom (Lola III), CSS Vision of Truth(Potemkin), CSS Blake's Vengeance(Sovetskii Soyuz), CSS Blake's Strength(Black Lion), FWLS Troy(Agamemnon), we will be striking anti-spinward with my First St. Ives Lancers leading the core assult along with Red Lancers, 2nd Sword of Light, 5th Sword of Light ,7th Sword of Light, 8th Sword of Light, six mech regiments, 15 Armored and 40 supporting regiments, Holding and advancing the interal flank will be Brevet-Senior Colonel Danai Centrella with her 1st Canopian Cuirassiers, St. Ives Cheveau Legers, 4th Pesht Regulars, 7th Pesht Regulars, four Mech Regiments, 11 Armored and 20 Supporting regiments, on the external Flank Colonel Mark Brandhauber with his 1st Regulan Hussars, 9th Division Com Guards, 3rd Benjamin Regulars ,9th Benjamin Regulars, 17th Benjamin Regulars, 5 mech Regiments, 12 Armour, 18 Supporting Regiments, I will be followed by Col. Akira Brahe.
Col. Akira Brahe "Precentor Martial, Fellow commanders, we will have no warship support, the collection of Regiments I have been given command over are deep strike and target of opportunity units, they will likely not be used in formations over two regiments, I am responsible to ensure they have the support and logistics to achieve the difficult missions they will be given, the commands are as follows" 1st Kell Hounds, 2nd Kell Hounds, Crater Cobras, 1st Ghost, 6th Ghost, all remaining Com Guard Divisions, 15 Mech Regiments
Focht addresses his commanders "We've seen 'zerg' tactics from the insectoids, I doubt they expected us, and that their tactics included dealing with Mechs and armor that were 2/3s the size of one of the soldiers but hit much, much harder, will they be able to adapt? We don't know but this is a War to the Knife! Knife to the Hilt! no Aries convention, nuclear weapons are authorized though I would suggest you use them sparingly we don't have an endless supply."
Victor Pipes in "I don't intend to use nukes, not because I am morally averse to their use, I am not, no there are asteroid belts in 80% of the systems we will be hitting. The Fox Class corvettes can push them quite well into insectoid planets, the various tugs we have assigned to the task for can do nearly as well. This is not war this is the existence of two groups of humans. If we fail they will die, we will not fail, we will win and if the Insectoids can convince us they truly have turned over a new leaf we will back down, till then their planets are to be demolished, their forces offered no quarter, their hives destroyed to the last larva.
After we have won we will likely be fighting our allies, that war if it happens it will be in strict compliance with the Ares convention, I will court-martial and if found guilty ensure punishment up to the death of those who fail to follow it". A couple of staff and regimental commanders "but they have enslaved this universe's humans, they have stunted humanities growth, they..." Victor cuts them off "yes they are like the worst parents you can ever run into, not because they are evil, no, they just 'know' better, anything that contradicts them is dismissed and they are masters of the reverse Munchhausen syndrome by proxy. That doesn't mean we kill without restraint, if we win against the insectoids and don't take the battle of Tau Ceti as an example of how 'easy' it will be, we may be forced to turn on our 'larger' kin, after the 2nd succession war even the Combine found a way to follow the Ares convention" Hohiro nods, Victor continues "if we can extend those protections to states we have had a thousand year vendetta against we can extend it to the ignorant, arrogant bastards, will all learn their lesson, No, but I believe they are 'human' enough that those we need to learn will"
Focht nods to Victor "we have our orders, I will be staying on board the Invisible Truth until the battles are over, or we find a way home. Victor you and your staff and fellow commanders will be visiting our allies, Omiko Kurita has done spectacular work liaison with them, she will in the next day or so arrange a meeting, remember tact and manners, we don't need to fight a two-front war, our supplies are not unlimited"
The briefing breaks up, as it does a couple commanders stop and speak with each other and the aides in the briefing. As most commanders head for their ships and regiments to start planning. Sang-Shao Wu Kang Kuo looks over the map and the plan a final time when he bumps into Sho-Sa Shin Yodama.
Sang-Shao Wu Kang Kuo was heading out of the briefing area, somewhat disappointed that his Harloc Raiders will be in reserve when he bumps into Sho-Sa Shin Yodama acknowledges him, and speaks to him "Sang-Shao Wu is your son and grandson well". Wu nods as Brevet Kommandt Renny Sanderlin and Kommandt Galen Cox stop and nod to the Sho-Sa and Sang-Shao. Shin, "I am not sure if you know Victor's aides and my friends" with a slight bow, a touch lower then required showing Shin's sincere respect for the two men "this is Galen Cox, if Sun-Tzu needs correcting Galen would be most apt to instruct him", Wu's eyes roll "the Maskirovka has informed us on Kommandt's Cox's actions on Trell one" Wu genuinely smiles and rubs his hand against his chin.
All four men laugh, Wu continues "we may have our hatreds and baises but against such an inhuman foe with such a hunger for the humanity's flesh and blood, we can at least in this conflict like the one we were preparing to engage against the Jaguars, be brothers, and comrades." Shin nods "we are fighting for the survival of these humans if anything it makes this fight even more important then the liberation of the Dragon's worlds held hostage by the Jaguar." Galen "I follow where the Archon-Prince leads, where he fights I will be at his side, if the fight is moral he will be at the front, if it isn't he will stop it or I will educate him again." Renny chuckles his head off, Wu is impressed by Galen's statement, while Shin rests his right arm on his shoulder "The Yellow Bird has a formidable conscience in you Galen" Shin smiles at his friend, "or should I say break, the true conscience has been silent..."
Renny shakes his head "I am just here, I have nothing to go home to and Victor has always been a great friend..." Wu, looks into Renny's eyes and sees something pure and innocent "you've lost someone", Renny nods sadly "My wife, she died of cervical cancer after the two best years of my life." a tear escapes, Shin " there is no shame in feeling loss and sorrow Renny", Galen "your loss reminds you of what we fight for and that sometime what we do isn't enough, but that only means we strive harder. You and your wife Rebecca fought for every minute didn't you." Renny nods through the tears "That's why we have to fight, to preserve our kin, for every minute they live, some hope, a bit of joy, a shred of happiness can be gained!"
All four are a bit more somber, they are unified in their drive to keep this universe's humanity safe from extinction, be they huge or like them, they all deserve a chance at happiness without fear of their universe ending.
As the conference clears out, Victor states "I think we can start setting up logistics", Focht appraises his second cousin one generation removed "do you?", Victor "after meeting with this Navarchos Aertimus Bass, we will arrange to meet with the UN General Secretary Ridgemont, I am sure there are facilities on Earth that can be upgraded, and Mars, as well as Venus, can be terraformed, while that's going on, other facilities can be built..." Victor smirks with some satisfaction, Focht chuckles "Victor I don't know if you are your mother's child, or your father's, but as a Wolf's Dragoon stated 'fire and Steel, a little tempering he'll be invincible'", Victor nods "that's what they told me before we trained on Outreach, though I am far from invincible", Focht nods "none of us are, but you have been tempered and fire and steel have mingled in you well. Who knows in this universe you maybe unconquerable?"
Victor "I just know my soldiers need beans, bullets, and bandages, and to get them for the Soldiers". Focht shakes his head, Victor is a master tactician, a near-legendary operational thinker, the man makes Eisenhower look like an amateur in Strategic thinking and coalition building, and is a god in logistics, he places his hand on Victor's Shoulder "no one better than you for this Task Force Victor", Victor nods feeling a kinship with the older man, Focht doesn't know if Hanse will out him as Fredrick Steiner or will he tell Victor himself, his ambition risked his Commonwealth, now he and his cousin can save millions if not billions and possibly free millions if not billions more, family Focht thinks it's been too long...
End Notes:
Family issues arrive on the Gyfjon as Naskia arrives in Chapter 5.
Author's Notes:
the pieces are moving as the Inner Sphere Task force prepares for Total War against the Insectoid while keeping their options open with the Titans. The Titans struggle with some interal issues as full diplomatic contact beteewn the sets of humanoids is progessing faster and in different ways then any could foresee.
Chapter four Preparations
They were fighting insectoids and learning the horrid secrets we held, I have over time accepted I am a Titan, but there are times by the Gods (or God) that I wish that I was a human like the ones that raised me. More than that I wished I could treat them as they treated me, I do the best I can within my government's limitations, but I also desire to do more. Maybe when I finally die I can be reincarnated as a human(or would that just be a smaller, faster, more accepting Titan from Earth?) That may be better then heaven...-Eryn Bass
Gama Fleet area
Naskia flies the family shuttle into the traffic pattern defined by CPT Gwenn, the fighters and other shuttles must have been lousy pilots with the number of near misses she had and warnings from Gyfjon. That or Niall was right she is a lousy driver and he was right to have Sorcha drive even before she was legally able to. No, she was a great driver she thinks as she attempts to park the shuttle manually.CPT Gwenn "ah Naskia you have an automatic docking computer on that thing for a reason..."
Naskia smiles "Lauryna regardless of what my family thinks I am an acceptable pilot."
Gwenn winces and knows the shields will hold for the vehicle that is roughly the Titan equivalent of an SUV. After numerous restarts and 'adjustments' she gets it close enough so that the crew can apply just a touch of help in the form of a low-end tracker beam. After docking Naskia is pleased with herself only took 20 minutes, to which Gwenn having been joined by her brother Navarchos Bass think it would have been over 19 minutes 30 seconds sooner if she had engaged the docking computer... Aertimus chuckles internally his sister is the perfect match for Niall, both will go down swinging on certain things, but both support theother even if they are wrong and work to correct the other as much as they can.
Naskia enters the Gyfjon, not much has changed, still a big warship. She knows the way to the bridge as she passes a number of the crew. She is courteous and polite as she begins to remember just how big the ship is and it's hallways. Having been successful at nearly everything her and her husband tried, a touch of modesty and humility reach her in time to see the Man she loves with every fiber of her being and will be regretting her being here for the next week. As she prepares for her speech to Niall, Sorcha comes into view, Naskia smiles at her baby as her thoughts have fully focused on her family.
Naskia is thinking it has been too long since she's seen her whole family together. She regrets that it will be somewhat uncomfortable to Sorcha (she is Daddy's big girl) and for too long very uncomfortable to her beloved Niall. She wishes she could let it slide and she has forgiven him already, but if he isn't checked, well he is Dr. Niall Freeman she thinks with a smirk, once 'freed' it is very difficult to restrain him (needed or not). It hurts her to hurt her love and mate, but both will be better for it.
Naskia says "Sorcha!" as Sorcha finally sees her mom and she hugs her much taller daughter "are you ok Tuppy?",
Sorcha isn't truly ok, she's still getting over losing Joseph and 40,000 of the lives that were entrusted to her.
Naskia senses her daughter's grief and guilt she hugs her baby "have you spoken with your dad?",
Sorcha "no, he seems very busy and everyone that isn't human seems intent on beating him up."
Naskia smirks "that's because he went around us" before Sorcha interrupts "he had good reasons Tuppy, but we can't let him and Darren get away with it if they do they will have secret project after secret project."
Sorcha "but after all the Titans have done to humanity."
Naskia nods "they have a right to prepare for the worst and be a position to defend themselves, but they also have allies, friends, and family who are titan or part titan who should be involved, that could cover for them, that could help them, they need not do alone and that's why they are going to get so much grief from them, cause it hurts not to be listen to because you are a human or a titan. So are you going to be ok?"
Sorcha considers the question, she's been numb and keeping busy, she hasn't really faced that she had fallen for Joseph. The one moment she had she cursed the man that likely saved her and Alesia's life.
Naskia "so you haven't really dealt with it huh baby?",
Sorcha begins to tear up "no and my first emotion was to cause a diplomatic incident....",
Naskia has a wry smile "you tore into this Field Marshal Victor Davion?"
Sorcha nods "this human riding what looks like a toy robot comes in and carbonizes a murder, someone who just stomped 3,000 innocent people, almost killed Alesia and could of killed me and my response is not to thank him but wish the love of his life would die so that he would feel my pain!!!!".
Naskia "From what I have heard the man is focused on his mission and doesn't worry about such outbursts, either you should apologize or stay away from him."
Sorcha's never backed down in her life, she realizes that some of her problems stem from that, but even worse is that she has difficulty seeing the other person's perspective until after she has stuck her nearly 20 ft long feet into her mouth. She knows Victor was trying to do the right thing, everyone she hurts is was trying to do well for her and those she cares for. Sorcha "mom, I am going to apologize and then I am going to go see Kiri"
Naskia is pleasantly surprised, her baby has been trying with some success to handle her anger issues, that she realizes she can't on her own shows Sorcha understands who she is. That she's going to Dr. Kiri Miroppi, though they had patched things up over the years Naskia still thought her former best friend as a bit of a snake. Niall and Kiri cordially disliked each other and Naskia kept in touch due to their earlier friendship and that she was the best psychologist for humans and hybrids around. Kiri's limited conscience seemed to be perfect for it, she would do whatever the patient needed not because it helped the patient, but it was another success for Kiri, her patient's health and wellbeing was a mirror on how great a person Kiri was. The greater her success rate, the better for her, so in a sense, she cared a great deal for her patients, but only in that they got better because of her. In many ways it made her the best doctor for Sorcha, Kiri was only interested in results and would not spare Sorcha's feelings if they got in the way of those results and Sorcha wouldn't be mollycoddled (which she was guilty of doing, but her Husband was even worse). She silently applauded her daughter's decision.
Naskia "Ok baby" as she hugs Sorcha, "let us go see the family,"
Sorcha smirks "not sure dad wants to be laid into by another titan",
Naskia smiles "not just another, the one he loves the most and loves him the most".
Sorcha sees her mom grin, she's seen it a hundred times, its determined, its focused, and its forgiving, she can't remember the number of times her mom would whisper 'I forgiven your father, but he still needs to learn a bit of a lesson, don't tell him that I have ok, let me rant and rave a bit and everything will be well'. It usually happened when dad was being impatient with an experiment, or some commentator got under his skin. As mom worked it through it happened less and less. Mom would never use her size advantage beyond correcting what both she and he had agreed was less than stellar behavior. When she was wrong dad had his ways of dealing with it as well and they were just as effective. However, today was mom's turn and for roughly a titan week daddy was going to have it bad.
Just before Naskia enters the bridge Engine Fixer stops her and says "hello scientist who developed communication array."
Naskia smiles "Engine Fixer?"
The Avartle female "I am an Engine Fixer, not the one you remember I am her third son, second daughter Engine Fixer."
Naskia smiles and nods "I hope the root com systems haven't given you any trouble, my husband and I believe we worked out the bugs years ago."
Engine Fixer "Human Scientist and Titan Scientist communication project works well, does human Scientist and Titan Scientist relationship works as well."
Naskia looks down and a bit hurt "Human Scientist for understandable reasons did not trust Titan Scientist, wife or Titans. For that, he is enduring pain from Titans."
the Avartle nods "Remember how much pain Human Scientist and humans have already endured, remember how much they have already sacrificed for our benefit." as she leaves "It was nice Communicating with you Titan Scientist."
Naskia contemplating all 'engine-fixer' had said: "it was instructive engine-fixer..."
Naskia, as she walked to the science station she knew, couldn't back down from her course, but she also understood better Niall's pain and sacrifice. Sometimes as well as they live and how deeply they understand each other she forgets the everyday pain and grind of living in a world not meant for him and dealing with things she never will. She will never forget her cardinal sins, but the venal day to day sins she tends to ignore or deem not worth fighting over. After what she has planned for punishment to Niall, she is going to have to re-evaluate that and will try to have others such as Loona and Kymie consider it as well. It was likely them ignoring or dismissing the small items that made Darren and her Husband go the path they choose. If the Titans who loved them could be so callous and indifferent, what of those like Qorni who hated them. She shakes her head, further disliking what she was already uncomfortable with, but like a Titan, she has to see it through before she can move on.
While walking to bridge's science station Naskia had communications from Semi-Navarchos Tamm she was skimming through her pad on all the data 'borrowed' from the task force. She was impressed and pleased by what she saw, they had researched and made a number of breakthroughs, but as humans were wont to do they broke off before they could make some very large strides. Anti-mater reactors, too dangerous, to likely to be used in wars (they seemed not to be able to go a Titan decade without a war), dark energy/matter same, but their fusion reactors were miniaturized to the point they could run cars off of them, and somehow they were roughly three to four times as effective as the best designs Titans had come up with, in fact, their shielding, containment fields, and power distribution/usage were off the charts, even their loss of technology stemming from their most brutal period still had several items (armor, construction materials, fusion plants, weapons)that were as good if not significate improvement to Titan equivalents, if only they had a Titan mother (and only one, Naskia knows too many of her ilk would smoother and stunt their development as shown by her universe) to spank their cute little behinds and keep them on task the humans from Task Force Bulldog's universe would be well in advance of the Empire rather then ahead in places.
Naskia really wanted to go over all this with Niall, she really wanted to enjoy his insights, bounce concepts and ideas off the other, bounce Niall gently off ah parts of her..., well she couldn't until Niall had learned his lesson, once that was done he and her would play some Tupp and Shaar, and see if he couldn't provide her one last Freeman.
Naskia was just at the end of her fundency normal bell curve, a year or two it will drop like a stone. Sorcha had been a HUGE challenge, they loved her and she was their daughter, but she seemed to inherit and multiply both parents tempers, that and keep 99.9999% of Niall's arrogance. She was too bright for her own good, she learned to fast, easy and well, she was too strong, fit and talented. Things came way to easy for Sorcha so any difficulty angered her, any obstacle she couldn't easily surmount was "unfair". She has become much better which upon seeing her improvement gave Naskia hope that another child would as well, Sorcha had to be an outliner with all those gifts marred by arrogance and anger. She and Naill had to be able to have a calmer as well as just as loving and brave child.
As Naskia enters sees her brother, Tamm, CPT Gwenn, 'CDR' Izzy, and of course her husband on the science station. She signals everyone to stay quiet, Niall is focused on the data she was just looking at "come on guys, you folks are brilliant, but Frakk you have the attention span of an ADHD three-year-old hyped up on caffeine" as he completes his sentence her senses a large hand closing around him, he turns to see that it is Naskia's hand, and he braces for her to squeeze just a 'pinch' harder than usual. Naskia applies just enough pressure to let her husband know she's displeased "hello Niall" she says with an angry smile "you have any other surprise projects you neglected to tell your wife, your family, or your friends?", Niall "P, err Naskia, I am guilty, I ask your forgiveness but you do know why I did it?"
Naskia sighs deeply and sufficiently into Niall "yes sw, err Naill, 499-501, I know, I know you don't trust the majority of Titans to do the right thing, that they haven't a clue of what the right thing is, and you know YOU ARE RIGHT! Most are too busy with their lives or don't know better, some are actually evil and would keep you from the rights you have as a class one sapient, but am I one of those"
Niall looks done "Pet...Naskia no you are not, most of the Gyfjon aren't, the vast majority of Gama fleet isn't...",
Naskia loosens her grip and takes him into a loving hug "but the system is, you needed a defense for your species if we reverted or fail, we failed. You've been beaten up by every Titan on this ship for not trusting them, what they haven't told you is that each and everyone would die not only for you but for any human if that's what it took to keep your species safe, to keep the earth from being a pet store. They would revolt against the empire if that's what it took, now some like Tamm is so by the book if you told her about it, well it would get to the authorities, even if it was redacted to the point of being unintelligible and on such a low priority that no one would ever read it. But Aertimus, Gwenn, Kymie, even Loona would quietly bury it and ensure nothing the empire would develop would be effective against your acolytes for as long as it took to get Earth able to defend itself against any foe".
Loona looks down at Niall somewhat ashamed" its true, we've messed up you humans for much too long, we need to allow you to reach parity in and outside of the Empire. If you can defend yourselves we no longer have any justification for butting in where we never should have been in the first place."
Aertimus shakes his head "we've clung to our biases, we are slow to change if your species was technologically advance and meddled with our civilization who's to say we wouldn't be your beasts of burden? We should have kept the Insectoids out and left you the hell alone until you were ready."
Tamm "being small in stature should not be the basis of how you are treated, too long we've done that with your species"
Naskia "see sweetie, yes I called you sweetie, everyone here loves you and loves humanity, you already knew that from first contact, but fear has crept into your hearts, you know Solis was one step away from crushing your home world and further enslaving humanity. We ask you not to trust Titans, the empire, or our military but to trust us. Besides just from looking over your work mister smarty pants you've missed a good five medium level applications of your engine and dozens of moderate to minor improvements that can be applied elsewhere if you all weren't in such a Gor'rom hurry..."
Niall "petal",
Naskia "I mean you all are awesome at the initial breakthrough, but..."
Niall "Petal",
Naskia "I mean can't you all slow down a bit, we can extend your life, but your patience and focus...",
Niall "PETAL",
Naskia "yes, sweetie"
Niall "whatever you require I will do as penance I will do"
Naskia smiles and beams "I know you will sweetie" as she kisses him "your my pet as much as I am yours". The sultry smile on her face and the shaar clawing shes simulating with her free hand has Niall gulping "you know I am a bit old for some things Petal?", Naskia "oh I am sure you are young enough..."
FCS Yggdrasil
Dr. B Banzai frustrated with MIIO and DMI makes the quip "Anna you think if I left an unmarked copy the Canterbury tales in middle English DMI-4 would think it was an exotic language?"
Anna shakes her head the intelligence agencies are bright, they are thinking too far outside the box, new universe they assume everything is new, that her father can immediately get back to the box when he sees the pattern makes him a genius, the others are quite bright, but don't have the flexibility her dad has. Hell Anna for an hour or so wasn't sure Titan or Achievian as it was known locally was Cyrillic.
Anna "Dad be nice, we have projects that require our brain power more than this," she says with a giggle and smirk.
Dr, B Banzai nods he knew his daughter hadn't picked it up right away as well, but she was only 10 minutes behind him and working 12 projects, the 'linguists' of MIIO and DMI were working intercept, decode and translation... Ah well, he had other things to put his passion into he thinks with a slight chuckle and a slight grin. The translation was done and the information was his to work with he was still frustrated though.
Dr. B Banzai and his daughter have hacked the Gyfjon's medical computer, tactical, communications, well all of them. B. Banzai "comparative effects of medicine" the Fedcom's latest computers took four hours to decipher the Titan's language, it would have taken 30 minutes if the MIIO agents doing the decrypt weren't sure it was an 'exotic' language for the love of GOD man just look at the cultural pollution and the Cyrillic alphabet. That said it was fast enough for them to get a good look at teraquads of data, their tech is 'fully-developed' in that everything that can be wrung from a discovery is, their 'breakthroughs' are more like push throughs, they test, test, test, test some more and then test, whereas humans would test, retest implement, but given their long lives and dominate size and population their mentality makes sense.
Banzai chuckles to himself if they were a successor state they would have been carved up by now, they would be protected by the six liberties if the Federated Suns or Commonwealth took them, much better then what they do to his kin, Lyran commonwealth slightly worse until they became part of the FEDCOM, FWL, and Combine wouldn't kill them, enslave them? not quite, close not quite, Capellan Confederation depends on which branch of the Liaos were in charge, the crazies would kill them all, the sane close to FEDCOM treatment.
Banzai comes to what he is looking for "ether",
Anna nods "only need 1/100 of what a human of proportion weight would need, plus our filtration and protective masks work well against it, the Titans haven't really encountered heavy use of chemicals in their wars, we've had an advantage over them since WW1."
Her dad nods "well let's not break out our VX and mustard quite yet (yes the fleet does have some for use in retaliation), the Archon-Prince and Precentor Martial want this done within the Ares convention",
Anna smirks "as it should be",
Dr. B. Banzai hits his intercom "Precentor Martial how many units do we have on hive ship?",
Focht "2 mech, 12 armored",
Banzai "can we have our missiles and autocannon rounds laced with ether and set for smallest fragmentation?"
Focht smile "of course, you find a weak point",
Banzai "not just one, but ether is the safest and in compliance with you and our Archon-Prince's wishes".
Focht "we'll raid the third tier medical supplies and load up our mechs and combat vehicles".
Banzai "thank you, sir"
End Notes:
Getting closer and closer beteewn the meeting of the two forces commanders, where will it go from there?
Author's Notes:
The Titans secerts are exposed, Bulldog begins to move against the Insectoids and ensures their "allies" of what will happen if the answers to those secerts aren't what Victor and his fellow Commanders want...
Chapter five first impressions
When it comes to humans, we Titans are unable to do anything RIGHT. We are seemingly unable to do what's right for our cousins. If we had a perfect map, flawless directions, as much time and practice as we need we would still mess things up. Maybe that will change, we have to hope it will, cause we have hurt them for far too long as it is, I don't want to hurt another human for as long as I live.-Aertimus Bass
CDR Lin Daphne is the commander ISS Jev Croumanea was a Tradition supporter and hoped Forna Qorni would maintain her position as Floor leader. He was sending his soldiers all five of them to secure the hive ship from Task Force Bulldog. The Soldiers leave in a shuttle as he calls Floor leader Qorni.
The regiments left to hold the hive ship are ready, their ammo has been switched out for ether powder as five 130 foot tall soldiers enter.
Detachment Leader "you will surrender this ship to the Empire pets!",
Major General Terrell Chevalier "we fought for this, we bleed for this and we defeated the insectoids for this, just try and take it" as the video is broadcasted to both fleets.
Victor, Hohiro, Kai, Shin, Galen, and Renny arrive on the ISS Gyfjon, Omi is there with Gwenn, Sorcha, Aertimus, Tam, Naskia, Loona, Niall, and Izzy. The Inner Sphere delegation is in their duty uniforms with cooling vests still on while the Titan welcoming committee is either in high-end civilian attire (Loona, Naskia, Niall) or dress uniform, the one exception is Omi whom all know will always be dressed to the 9s as required as the keeper of House Kurita's honor.
Some in the Titan delegation (most particularly Tamm) are put off by the casual dress of the Innersphere. Victor just smiles and throws out a small cube, the Titans doubt it's a weapon and before they can become nervous they see a hologram of the hive ship's insides. Five Titans are firing on a couple dozen tanks. The Tanks are behind enough cover that they haven't damaged them.
Victor "we fought your foe, we defeated them and now you want to steal what we have captured?"
Navarchos Bass and his wife Eryn facepalm simultaneously, Loona looks down at her feet, Naskia and Niall look at each other like who are those idiots while Tamm and Gwenn just shake their heads. Loona goes to a comm station and puts in a call to the capital while Navarchos Bass calls the Soldiers involved and orders them off the ship.
Eryn is really starting to hate being an ambassador not because of whom she is speaking to, but because the race she is representing "ah Archon-Prince, Coordinator Designate, Lord Apparent of St. Ives, we apologize for this one of our commanders got over eager and took a bit too much initiative",
Sorcha laughs "that never happens when a Titan is anywhere near a human",
Naskia "Baby, Be Quiet! you are not helping matters!",
Sorcha nods "but they have the right to know that most Titans are virtually blind to how smart and capable humans are",
Eryn "that is slowly changing Sorcha, I know your highnesses are in your right to use whatever force is necessary to expel our Soldiers from your captured ship, please be merciful and let them live, they will be court martailed and any infraction will be punished."
Victor shakes his head "you can't stop seeing us as a less then you can you? Would you do to that to a larger race? One that didn't look so much like you?"
We didn't come in dress uniform cause you would only see us as pets being spruced up! It is likely if things do not change we will come to blows after we handle your insectoid problem. When we do will you attempt to put us into cages?"
Loona and Forna Qorni have been speaking and ordering CDR Lin Daphne to remove his troops, he has been told he will be court-martialed by both, he doesn't quite believe them, he believes he's doing his job. As the discussion continues the LRM Carriers fire 120 LRMs into the five Soldiers, exploding well before they do harm, but place a thick mist of something around them. The five Soldiers fall, the Titans look in shock as Medical personnel from Task Force Bulldog in protective masks ensure they are ok.
Navarchos Bass pulls up the ISS Jev Croumanea health monitor for the five Soldiers, it shows they are asleep as Soldiers begin to secure them. The entire Gyfjon crew breaths a sigh of relief, if there had been lethal fire returned... Though all know Bulldog troops were under legal terms able to use lethal force doing so would have been very painful politically.
Loona displays the FedCom General Chevalier ensuring they are secured and that no one has died or been injured. Forna knows a quarter of her caucus would be up in arms over how the humans were "treating" the soldiers, but 3/4 of them would wonder why they were there in the first place and what idiot ordered them there.
She puts Loona on hold "CDR Lin Daphne you are RELIEVED of command and demoted to jr. crewman 3rd class, XO you are now in charge, DO NOT do anything without Navarchos Bass's approval" she gulps and nods as Daphne is hauled away.
She switches back "Loona we are holding a vote on national status for humans within the empire can you get Earth into an alliance and keep this task force at least neutral?"
Loona "a lot of our leverage with earth went out the window with Bulldog, they may only stay long enough to deal with the Insectoids, but again that was our leverage, if we want alliance we are going to have to have you and the emperor apologize for all the crap we've put them through since we discovered them on Earth, we are going to have to give them every super-mu in our territory and every one we discover, follow on techs for space and power generation sectors as well as a trade packet that makes the one that just passed look small"
Forna "the apology... it is what it is, won't having everything laid out make things worse?",
Loona smiles a sad smile "it couldn't be much worse then the 'faces of death' video, we need to be making thousands of years of wrongs right, we need human citizenship if not today soon!"
Forna that's the one road she doesn't want to travel, it is far too soon for that, she knows which two votes changed at the end and they will not get the numbers they are looking for. a close vote is just as bad as a failed vote, even 60% to 40% is going to show 40% of Titans with all this proof aren't willing to allow humans citizenship and with the Federation already 'nullifying' it before it starts they would upset the apple cart for nothing "Loona it can't be done there is at least 40% of the population and representatives who don't believe it",
Loona "well if it passes..."
Forna shakes her head "it's gone past that, it needs to be an overwhelming margin of at least 70% to 30% to mean anything to the outside universe",
Loona "but it will mean so much to humans of the empire",
Forna "yes it would, but down the road, now with national status, the right to work and the right to own property we get almost as much as citizenship but without the close margin, on a bad day this will pass 80% to 20% and will have a better impact on the universe at large".
Loona "so after apologizing and giving them 60% of personhood, we're going to tell them see you in a couple generations?".
Forna nods "yes and you can bring down the government but you still won't get the votes to make it meaningful, you will still have more resistance then just the dead-enders, National plus gets humans so they can defend themselves, make money for themselves and own things for themselves the rest will flow from there. It's the only way for a massive pro-human vote for things that will have a real impact on their lives, even if citizenship passes it will be years Titan years before it is implemented and decades Titan decades before it is accepted. Take the half-loaf and you can get some more crumbs and chunks of bread later."
Loona wants to throw it in her face, wants to demand a citizenship vote, but Forna is right anything less then massive support would be detrimental to the views of humans outside the empire and would cause resentment amongst a large minority of Titans within the empire. They are at war, it can be revisited after the war with the contributions humans made in saving the empire. Loona "I am going to amend it so that crimes against humans receive the same penalty as any other class one species, that humans are a class one species baring a long list of provable items within the empire within 20 years, and that they can sit on juries and be witnesses when deciding crimes against one of there species.
Forna fumes a bit "bit more then I would like, but if we do it right we can still get 800 to 850 votes for it".
Loona hates herself for this, but it is roughly 65% to 70% of citizenship and it is the best she can do now "I will be heading back after this to vote and I will try to have the UN delegation come and we can negotiate an 'alliance'"
Forna "Good thinking, have them a bit out their element and give them most of what they want up front and we can preserve some advantage for later dealings". Loona just nods cuts off the comm station and smacks her hand to forehead and thinks 'as bad off as we are, and all that we've done to them and she's still trying to preserve some advantages...'
Forna is in her office, it will be hard to apologize, she's certain they have done wrong, but it wasn't intentional, she does have enough awareness to know how she would feel it that was done to Titans like herself, but considering the 'protection' they have provided, well it isn't easy to say your sorry. She calls in Ammer Smit to help her write it...
Emperor Tiernan and his wife the Empress Rajenlif weren't expecting Loona's senior aide to call, but after speaking with Mr. Smit they were fully ready for the family to speak out on this. The emperor and empress had been hoping for something like this since their conversation with Priece and Rhionne. They had been planning for this opportunity to lead, that their son was returning to report on the battle and his impressions of this 'task force Bulldog' would only make their statement resonate louder.
Back on the ISS Gyfjon Navarchos Aertimus Bass was a bit flustered as was Eryn, the three princes Davion, Kurita and Allard-Liao were not backing down like Ridgemont had (and had to). They demanded full citizenship for humans in the Empire. Earth to have free reign of the stars and to choose what they wanted to do as well as full and equal enforcement of the law once equality was set and they had until Bulldog finished off the Insectoids. The Bass(s) really wished that could be done, but for it to be accomplished, they had to give a little, just a bit more time. Unlike Earth, they couldn't 'suggest' that protecting bulldog was tiring and have the humans provide them with just enough room to maneuver to get to something that both sides could agree to. No, already 25 scout and invader class jump ships had set out on recon/spec ops against the insectoids.
Bulldog would not wait, which worried every titan in the fleet, they knew how slow their people moved. It was even worse because Earth though rapidly advancing they at current couldn't defend themselves from Titans or Insectoids allowing the Titans whenever they messed up a bit of safe space, we consider you pets, but we defend you, we f'd up your progress and culture, but we protect you. Eryn knew that the trump card was dead they couldn't push humans on earth into a corner then when face had been saved or circumstances allowed then give them 60% to 80% of what she wanted to give them. No, it was the Titans that had to be careful now or a field army of inner sphere Soldiers would engage them in a war that the Titans were unlikely to win. She wished she had done her job better, she wished her people's biases would have faded more, she just wished her species would have treated humanity like her human mother and father treated her...
Victor "we apologize that this is one ultimatum after another", Sorcha caughts his gray-blue eyes both pause for the briefest of moments "I, I have no doubt you are all good, honorable and decent people, but too long has humanity been told 'we are working on it' or 'we will fix it', 'or give us time' you have held our kin in bondage for too long if it is not rectified by the time we have beaten the Insectoids we may be facing off against each other..."
Eryn "we understand Archon Prince, but the time provided, it's likely not enough," she says pleading letting everyone know that she would have fixed long ago is she had the power.
Victor doesn't doubt that she would, but they've had decades, centuries to make it right, at least do what he did at the Nagelring pull an all-nighter and get the DAMN PROJECT DONE!
Victor "you've had time, generations have died in servitude and you studied, more generations expired and you conducted research that was far from honest, that only confirmed your biases. Now at the 11th hour after all that has past you have the AUDACITY to as for MORE time! My father who founded and funded our primer university in the Innersphere has a saying 'paralysis by analysis' there is a point where studying, debating, consulting and experimenting are only holding you back. That either you do not wish to do something, or you don't know how and either way you need to take GOD DAMN ACTION! From my understanding more than a few Titans have been willing to take unconsidered action when angry or upset to the detriment to humans, in fact, I bet it happens all the time. Why not do the same for their freedom?"
The Titans shuffle and guilt fulls them, Naskia looks as if she's been slapped, those two instances she wasn't being a careful Titan, she took rapid, decisive action to harm humans, she thinks when has she taken such action for their freedom? Eryn remembers her courtroom outburst as her head lowers. Aertimus remembers all his issues in first contact if he had just started out where he finished it might have gone better as he shakes his head. Loona knows she should have gone for new elections after Zeramblin Act failed instead of being too clever by half and letting Forna run things. There were lots of things they could of done and asked for forgiveness later, why when it hurt those they purported to care (something as simple as placing a human in a pocket and closing the zipper to get a moment's peace to almost killing a future husband) they act swiftly without thought and when they could help Victor was right they frequently if not almost always delayed until it was almost pointless for the sake of 'planning', if humans hadn't of pushed and pushed... well they would be a lot further away today, and they weren't that close now.
Victor felt a twinge of regret he hadn't just hurt them he had wounded them. Naskia was crying, Eryn wasn't far behind, Aertimus can't look a human in the eyes right now and Loona can't focus on any human.
Victor knowing he has inflicted pain attempts some healing "Passively you've done all you can, supported Dr. Freeman, maybe freed one or two other humans, but it's been at your time and in most instances for your benefit. Having studied while fighting in this universe for nearly two weeks I have seen instances like Tribe Maris farms in which it is definitely good that happens, but you can't say the sisters didn't benefit as much or more than the humans. Felltree claims to be for human rights, but rather than fight fair against Marionette she uses his 24-hour sleep pattern against him for what a larger platform to push human rights by taking down a human that was the perfect symbol for those same rights? Seems to me regardless of her personal beliefs she benefited herself and those who stood against what she stated she believed and how she did it by waring him down only accented the argument that humans are too weak. Though she did redeem herself, when her best friend died she made an opportunity to do what was right for him and his species. Does it take the death of a loved one for all of you to make opportunities for them and their Kin?"
Victor faces down and continues "I've learned as a military commander yes to plan, but in planning you are only providing information and knowledge to your subordinate commanders, preparing and training you assets and giving them a general idea of what's important, it is on the most junior Soldier to make sure they stay alive and their comrade to the left and right does as well, it is on the squad leader to find them good terrain and get the supplies so that they can do so, the company commander to ensure his flanks and rear are secure and supported so that he can find the weak point and punch through, the Battalion and Regimental commanders to ensure logistics are secure, that their units can maneuver and operations can be successful, it is on ALL Soldiers to MAKE an opportunity so that they can survive and win, rather than wait for a weak point, find one, rather then find one, distract and create one, You have done well waiting for weak points, you've likely made a couple once it is clear you are involved."
"Eryn, have you used your official capacity as ambassador to try to make real changes to the government? Loona as a politician I would gather you are a skilled knife fighter and am sure you have been trying to set things up down the road have you gone into the lions den and listen to why the older generation is opposed, it might be that showing human grandchildren with their grandparents might loosen up a few votes? it did with my GrandMa Katrina. Aertimus you should know as well as any military officer that 'he who dares wins' and that 'fortune favors the bold' why didn't you use your ship and it's sensors for the exploration it was meant for? a Terran century ago it was clear to anyone that earth was borderline class one, why didn't you and your brother-in-law find neutral students and professors to look at Earth from the Gyfjon, have your crew input, even leak some of the more salacious stuff?"
Victor was considering asking Naskia why she didn't support or suggest the same thing but the poor girl was devastated. Sorcha was soothing her mother, look at him in pity and then with some contempt and then back to pity. Niall was trying to calm her down, let her know he loves her and still stare daggers at Victor. Victor walks slowly towards her, he can feel their anger, one wrong foot placement and he's a smear. He has walked down the valley of death to many times to be intimidated.
Niall screams "get away from her!",
Naskia gently picks her husband up and smiles through her tears "it's ok dear, he's right I am a monster...",
Victor gently touches her ankle "whatever you have done, to whomever you have done it to has been forgiven" as he looks at Niall and provides a nod to him, Victor continues "it was not my intention to wound you so, merely shake you from your apathy. That defense never wins wars, that merely taking the opportunities provided will not win." He speaks to them all "the opportunities you've had to advance, they were all, or mostly due to an enemies overreach weren't they?"
Niall and Naskia, Naskia losing herself to rage the two times, which cemented her feelings to Niall and humans, through her failings and guilt. Niall pushing her buttons too hard and finally realize after she almost killed him that he needed her and loves her. Loona winning her seat with her opponent sounding like a bigot, Eryn getting Darren back in her life, through numerous overreaches to include Aisell blackmailing Lyroo over her father's overreach. Aertimus had Solis push too far. They had all won because in some large part their opposition failed. if they hadn't Naskia would have been in jail for animal cruelty, Niall would be dead or a broken test subject to Kiri, Loona would still be writing news stories with limited impact, and Aertimus, as well as everyone who counted on him, would be died. It was crystalizing that they had been on the defensive and they only attacked when their foes severely screwed up. If they hadn't things would be much worse and to depend on that might lose them all they have gained.
Victor gently strokes Naskia's ankle joint "I who have wounded you wish you to heal, I now know your guilt and shame. From the looks of your family, they don't feel you should be burdened with it anymore. I can not judge this, but keep only that would prevent you from doing it again and shed the rest so that you can help those who need it."
Naskia kisses her husband "thank you Sweetie" and looks down at Victor with a bit of anger "so we've been passive?",
Victor nods, She continues "what have you done?", Victor smirks which is causing all the Titans fits, no human is this calm around them.
Victor then answers "I and my troops saved the God Damn Day, that's what we did", Kai, Galen and Renny chuckle, Hohiro looks a bit perplexed, Galen whispers it is a Paraphrase from a lot of movies but I think Victor was going for 'Conair'"
Hohiro "you mean with that horrid Cage actor", all of them nod.
Niall and Sorcha chuckle as Naskia places her hand beside Victor "get on shortcake",
Victor does and asks "shortcake?",
Naskia beams "yes shortcake" as she takes him and hugs him "Niall do you want to adopt a prince?",
Naill "he is better mannered the Sorcha, but he still does those stinging remarks", Victor chuckles as Naskia places her other hand down, while Victor is getting his bearings
Sorcha chuckles "he would be a cute younger brother, maybe we could hook him with..."
Victor is lovingly attacked by...
Omiko Kurita smiles up to Naskia, she and Naskia have chatted a bit, Naskia knows how she feels and has gotten a good view of the woman Omi is. They have no problem conspiring to have Omi 'attack' Victor. Though Naskia does see what's in her Tuppy's eyes and once Omi is in her right hand kissing and hugging the shorter Victor, her left hugs and strokes Sorcha.
Omi "Victor my love, you must be a touch more diplomatic",
Victor between kisses "like you" he smirks, Omi mubbles between kisses "well I was shocked and dismayed, I didn't know the caliber of our current hosts and hostess".
Naskia slowly lowers her right hand, smiling at the cute couple as everyone stifles an aaawww as much as they can. Omi and Victor slowly disengage and leave,
Victor "Naskia, sorry if I was a bit brusque in my statements",
Naskia smiles down on him "it's ok Shortcake, you were right about quite a lot" she pauses and looks at Omi "He's a good one like my Niall, but he's too much a Soldier, keep civilizing him",
Omi bows "Thank you, I will ensure his sword like wit is properly sheathed unless needed", Naskia, Eryn, Sorcha, and Omi laugh as the men look around a bit lost.
Omi links up with her brother, Victor, Kai, Galen, and Renny "thank you for the hospitality" she bows "both of our peoples have much to do, but I would say the burden is more on you. Please do all you can so that you are no longer weighed down by it."
Eryn nods "Lady Omi, Prince Victor, you have our word we will do everything we can to make this happen even if we have to be a bit bolder then we usually are".
Omi "that is well, I leave for Diona in the morning."
All have a funny feeling that this trip is a bit more dangerous then it seems. Though none speak of it now as the inner sphere delegates board their two dropships.
After they've left Eryn whispers to her husband "why do I fear we won't see her alive again",
Aertimus pulls her tight "she intends to prove herself worthy of Victor, she knows at one level he already feels she is, but she feels her family has wronged his so she must pay",
Eryn rests her head on his chest "The star-crossed lovers never get a happy ending do they?",
Aertimus "maybe this time, my love maybe this time"
Two months later on Diona
Omi and the protesters from the Aenur Foundation set up in the capital of Diona, Anola. It was like any provincial city Omi had seen before, a bit more educated and 'progressive' then the rest of the Federation they were still backward enough that they made certain parts of her very conservative culture appear liberal. Omi loved that she could make an impact, most Titans like most humans aren't out to kill those that disagree with them so when she said she was from a universe without Titans and they had done just fine, the responses were diverse and interesting. It wasn't until her fiance and her brother had shown the Insectoids how war was to be engaged in did they start to listen. That they began to respect at least some humans, that some dialogue was entered into.
That Omi sat with poor human nationals, barely more than pets, with Titans of good character such as Aezhay Maris, Gae Neutha and Palsa Temis actually brought her comfort, she felt like she was finally doing what she was meant to do. To help free those enslaved and to help those in need of forgiveness find it.
The park they protested and organized in was pleasant enough, huge trees, grass nearly 1/3 her height, titan children 18 times her height playing (very cute in its own manner yet remarkably disconcerting...). The lodgings well she teased Victor that she was getting a better understanding of what he had to endure riding Prometheus for weeks at a time. Victor smiled and indulged her, though 3-star hotels were not the norm for a princess such as her, she also was carrying precious cargo and that allowed him to forgive her gripping and moaning. She had made many friends both human and titan, she hoped that her actions would help and strengthen them, that they could live together in harmony, respect, and equality. Omi smiles as one of her new friends April a former pet approaches.
April "lady Omi, lady Omi", Omi "yes", April "can you watch our children",
Omi smiles "certainly" as the march doesn't start for an hour or so,
April "thank you" as she and three other moms run to get food before the event start
End Notes:
We will see the Innersphere in action next chapter will they be fready for the Insectiod threat?
Chapter 6 War to the Knife, Knife to the Hilt by Bigdawg K
Author's Notes:
The fight against the Insectoids is now Total, Bulldog goes all in to deal with the threat. Will the Titans learn anything about humans form seeing just what Bulldog can do?
Chapter six War to the Knife!, Knife to the Hilt!
"we had been HAD, Ridgemont and Forna were gaming us from the start. The two that caused the most damage would get the most reward. There is no Karma in the Universe!!!-Alesia Nonahsdottir
Task force Bulldog seems to be able to strike at will against the insectoids. Perhaps Precentor Martial Focht and Field Marshal Davion should provide 'our' foes with a bit more leniency and compassion-Conservative MP
Week two Invader class Jumpship La Crosse
Kommandt Treece Jackson DMI-6 was getting the latest ESM from the Insectoid's planetary defenses, his three Rabid Foxes teams already had a good idea of what to do. They would take out the listening posts and far space defenses as Teams from Col. Brahe Merc/spec-ops task force would handle intermediate and short range, and the taskforces conventional regiments would hold while Dr. Banzai's chemicals weapons were unleashed into the atmosphere followed by the pushing of large mass and diameter asteroids into the planet.
Treece smiled they already had generation one of the new 'insecticide' as rifle rounds. Some Phenol groups, a hydroxide there, an ether, the mustard derivative would 'blister' the insectoid's chitin, the sarin derivative would seep into the wound and kill them like a can of Raid. Its effects on Mammals were minimized but the combination was still fatal in small dosages so, everyone was told it was the most dangerous stuff, better safe then dead...
Kommandt Treece's shuttle was ebon black, each of Treece's three teams had a shuttle identical to his. Each being coated in reflective material, be it radar, light, sonic, pulse their drop shuttle at worst had a cross-section of a motorcycle. It was utilitarian and spartan on the inside, room for their rifles, machine guns, four slots for their Infiltrator Mk. II battle armor, everything had been labeled and meticulously stacked and organized. Each seat in the 32 man shuttle was just as well ordered from the pilot, co-pilot, comms officer, medical, and the 28 person platoon. Four combat squads, 1 sniper, 1 Battle armored scout, 2 rifle-grenadiers, 2 machine gunners (1 light for offensive, 1 medium for support and defense) and their squad leader with carbine and comms packet. All in basic NBC/EVA gear as standard, this protective outerwear being made more important after the Solution that the Drs. Banzai had come up with to 'neutralize' 60 to 80' tall Insects.
Their drop shuttle was ready, each team knew their target, their pheromone blockers with stealth would get them there, then within 4 to 8 hours a hole would appear in the insectoid's sensor web, and all hell would come down around them, their frontier defenses would have a gaping hole if all went roughly as planned and Bulldog would run right through. Likely four trillion Insectoids of all kinds, how many if any would be left at the end Jackson didn't care, he was an orphan trained by the state, his state had been good to him and his family, his two kids have made to their teenage years having a loving mom and dad, anything that he and his teams could do to ensure the humans here, and that included the huge arrogant ones as well had peace and more loving homes the Kommandt was willing to do. The music started as they boarded "I stood stone-like at midnight suspended in my masquerade and I combed my hair till was just right and commanded the Night Brigade" Springsteen's anti-establishment growing up, a perfect send-off for the innovative malcontents of DMI-6, they all think to themselves "for the Federated Commonwealth, Long Live Archon-Prince Victor!" as they prepare for their jump.
Jump point east wind
DEST Commander Sho-Sa Kagome Higurashi, pondered for the billionth time why her parents named her after a late 20th century (western calendar) anime character, she supposed it could have been worse her last name could be Kaname in which her haired would be dyed pink and she would be given a 'bow' she already had a very nice longbow as a 'Shinto Priestess' of her 'standing' should. Her parents loved her and that was enough for Kagome, she was now the 'mother' of sixty of her nation's best special forces operators. Many wondered out loud what Omiko saw in Victor. Most understood that the 'Yellow Bird' was an honorable warrior, and committed ally and a worthy friend, but to tie the dragon's daughter to its natural enemy regardless of how good and honorable that enemy was seemed foolish. They would, of course, keep their opinions to themselves, they were not the Black Dragon Society, whom Omi loved was up to her and her family, and if Victor wasn't the Yellow Bird he would make a fine mate, Kagome thought so.
Most of her operators, they were so much more than mere soldiers or even mech warriors, had been orphaned at a young age, sharing that with both the Federated Commonwealth Special Forces of Loki and Rabid Foxes. They were completely indoctrinated to the state as Loki was, but had freedom of operation closer to the old Federated Suns Rabid foxes. What made them better then both of her allies spec ops teams was the Combine culture, all of her 'children' were not only skilled in warfare, but poetry, gardening, their experiences and drive to perfect them outside of day jobs gave them a perspective that the culture that raised those poor Fedrats could never match...
DEST too had received Dr. Banzai's new ammunition, their plans were a bit simpler then DMI-6's. Lord Kurita had provided a number of 'suitcase' nukes, they would fight their way, place, extract and explode. Then the war would start in earnest, with glory and honor to be had by all even the honorable Gaijan of the Federated Commonwealth, but with the most of it going to the sons and daughters of the Dragon.
Her irreverent team members load onto their drop shuttles as Federated Suns brethren music plays. Sho-Sa Higurashi winces as it is Do-as-infinity's "My Will" with her team chuckling and gently mocking her. She smiles and endures, the real war starts now and perhaps the Innersphere needed a sacred priestess to help them win.
Jump point Valhalla
Kommandt Mark Von Hap of Loki looked at the target. The Lyran Intelligence Corps was one of the few places were there no 'social generals' and though a fair minority felt a greater loyalty to Victor's sister Katherine they were all committed to the Federated Commonwealth. The New Avalon Institute of Science personified in Dr. Banzai had come through again. They had literally the ammunition they needed to carry out this mission.
As with his comrade Kommandt Treece he has 84 operators ready to start this war against the Insectoids. Thankfully the 'war' between the pro-Victor element of his team and the pro-commonwealth was muted. Most of it dealt with the fear that Skye, and what's left of Tamar would be sold to the Dragon. A good 20 of his members including himself worried about the bride price he would pay for Omi Kurita. They respected Victor, he was as brave as any Steiner, but he had chosen a woman that they couldn't quite trust. It didn't help that his Davion side was becoming more pronounced as he grew. All in all, they had a mission to conclude and it was a worthy one. The minority would hope they would be listened to and that their worlds would stay within the Commonwealth. Now they had a mission to accomplish and lives to save...
Their plan like their Fedcom brethren the Rabid Foxes was to take out the outer sensor net and defenses. They like DEST had nukes, so the overall path was between the over the top overkill of DEST and the overly understated rabid foxes, Von Hap liked the middle ground he was plying and his three teams loaded up to Meat Loaf's "I would lie for you and that's the truth" was playing in the background, that and of course Nordic drums...
DMI-6 assault point Baker six
Kommandt Jackson had to see to believe, one 5.56mm round laced with the mustard/sarin was dropping insects the size of small buildings. He had known how dangerous chemical weapons were but he figured massed fires would be needed, that it would just be a bit of enhancement. When his team sniper hit a warrior center mass, the 12.7mm round didn't quite make it all the through, it didn't have to, in seconds the mustard derivative blistered what little chitin was left and the sarin derivative finished the job, in under 10 seconds the massive warrior was convulsing, in 15 it was dead, the only difference between the larger rounds and standard ammo was instead of 15 seconds to kill, with standard it took nearly 20. The only negative was the rounds still had some effect on mammals, the antidote was very effective, but even skilled operators can get cocky when they have what they believe is a silver bullet and man oh man this was close.
SGT Hobson was keeping up his seven to nine round bursts from his Federated 7.62mm medium machine gun, a descendant of the Browning M1919 Hobson aimed his rounds into the four to six Insectoid groupings the defenders seemed to prefer, to his count 40 of those building-sized roaches had died at his hands, well at the Sarin laced 7.62mm rounds, watching them twitch like that, oh god it never got old. As Sergeants Smith and Jones pop 40mm grenades into their assembly areas, Treece in his Infiltrator Mk. II was laying satchel charge after satchel charge on the Insectoids sensor network. CPL Higgins with LMG a variant of the venerable SAW M249 kept the attention away from his commander as he reached 30 kills himself. Higgins, Smith, and Jones were moving from rock, outcropping, depression, hill taking cover as they could as they to set charges on ambush sites they knew the bugs had to go through and equipment that they could destroy. The insectoids having lost 100,000s of fighters didn't have many in reserve, three Mk. 209 light fighters on a short runway were taken down by six 2.2 kilogram charges each operator using two in a single redundancy pattern of two charges per fighter. Their platoon had maybe five minutes until their part of the mission was accomplished, they just hope the other teams were doing as well.
Hauptman Lesslie Koln in her Mk. II battle armor was having a touch more difficult, less cover meant more jumping and more standing in place, less ability to take down targets of opportunity. She was confident in her team and herself, Treece wouldn't have chosen her as a platoon leader and his XO if he didn't have confidence her and her team. They had tracked down all but the emergency sensors. They had already killed nearly 200 bugs, Thier charges set on everything but the last two sensors. Oh there they are as she uses her Magashot railgun, she has to love the Banzais turning her anti-mech weapon into a brutally effective insectiod killer as her sarin coated piece of ballistic ferrous material explodes directly in front of 30 soldiers, as her team move in and time passes 28 begin to twitch, it's sick but all so satisfying as her teammates clear up the last two and she set her charges her platoon bounds back to her drop shuttle having the most difficult of any of the DMI-6 platoons. Still, even with all the challenges Hauptman Koln's team all return only two operators were even hurt.
Hauptman Peters platoon had the easiest run, 15 soldiers, and 400 larvae, even now he's found a ventilation duct and is preparing to pour sarin powder into it. While the other platoons use bounding overwatch to get back their shuttle Peters 'deployment' of gas makes any counter-attack by the bugs pointless, they are all dead or incapacitated. Peters takes a minute or two more to make sure the pests are controlled. SGT King calls him, the other two shuttles are preparing for take off. Peters smiles as his platoon moves back smartly to their shuttle at the very least this lane will be open for invasion. First blood goes to the Rabid Foxes!!!
After fixing a senior Sargent and a couple of corporals of minor wounds the medics make sure they are secured. As the drop shuttle prepares to leave the explosions knocked out the Primary, Alternate, Contingency and Emergency sensors and weapons, to add insult to injury the powdered additive to their ammo was placed into the filtration network, every bug was twitching he and the men and women under his command thought with a smile.
As each member stows their gear and takes their seat, Kommandt Treece Jackson smiles DMI-6 has accomplished their mission, now it was up the rest of the AFFC to do theirs, err Bulldog to do theirs. Everyone checks in and are locked down, in seconds the stealth drop shuttles burn out at three gravities ending the first phase of operations in this sector.
As they leave they see part of Col. Brahe's Merc spec ops group wink in, three Merchant class Jumpships and one heavily reconfigured Lola III destroyer. Jackson shakes his head "Kujo" and his 7th Battalion Recon were here with 1st Kell Hounds, and it looks like by the weight of aerospace coverage the Death Brigade were still subcontracted with the Recon, well their jobs were done, he wished the hounds and their affiliated Merc commands luck, it wouldn't hurt to have the 'Rabid Dawg' the recon's warship as fire support.
DEST infiltration point alphaSho-Sa Higurashi was just as grateful to the NAIS and Dr. Banzai as were their DMI counterparts. DEST had been a bit overconfident and seven of her team members were wounded, but none badly, the Dragon could still strike silently as required. It inspired confidence to see such massive creatures brought low by a single shot.
Sho-Sa Higurashi cursed herself a bit, their teams had substituted more battle armor in place of machine gunners so with those in battle armor being able to move faster the platoons were split up. The three operators in Kage class armor rapidly advancing the other two of the squad trying to keep pace. This situation had allowed the insectoids to surprise a few of her operators, many were injured, but no deaths, it was close Gunsho Ido a rifleman from her 3rd squad nearly died from a leaky round allowing sarin into contact with his skin. They had injected him with the antidote and loaded him back on her shuttle. Striking with maximum violence was one thing, but the Dragon could not waste assets like Gunsho Ido like that. Kagome altered the battle plan.
Sho-Sa Higurashi modified movement to bounding, she stayed in constant contact with her battle armor contingent, when things got hairy they were to find cover and let the rest of the team catch up. The insectiods were mostly overmatched by the Kage's firepower and in no time the DEST teams had placed their nukes on the sensor and weapons grid of the insectiods.
As Sho-Sa Higurashi's battle armor withdrew, her riflemen and grenadiers provided cover, once in place her battle armor did the same. They bounded from cover to cover until they reached the drop shuttles. The wounded went in first, treated by their team medics. The Canopians as was their skill set patched her family members up amazingly well (she would have to have her command pass thanks to Major Centrella for her medics and their professionalism along with the level of skill they showed). The operation was over in 30 minutes with over 500 insectoids killed, and likely 100,000s more of their nukes went off.
As with the Rabid Foxes, everything had a place and everyone a seat, the drop shuttles again pulled with maximum acceleration and were far enough away that at 42 minutes mission time the nukes went off completely blinding and leaving defenseless the outer part of this invasion corridor. With seven hurt and wounded Sho-Sa Higurashi would train to become better, it matter not that 25% losses would have been acceptable (100% a decade ago as long as the Dragon's as long as the mission was successful there were always more bodies some coordinators thought), these men and women were her family she owed it to them to become better and strive for 0% on her side...
As they evacuated the nukes went off and the insectoid sensors and defenses were gone. almost to the second five invaders and one Star-lord jump into the system, the 6th Com Grauds and 2nd Kell Hounds deployed to deal with the intermediate defenses as her team makes for their jumpships and see if they are needed in the system or will they jump to their next target.
Loki Assult point Stuttgart
Kommandt Mark Von Hap had a small number of low yield nukes, he maintained the Federated 7.62mm medium machine gun, for the light machine gunner he substituted a suite of Gray Death Standard battle armor mounting a light recoilless rifle as their heavy weapon. Mark's mission was to engage in direct fire only when he had an overwhelming advantage. Otherwise, he would use the grenades and recoilless rifle rounds as indirect fire to clear the path, set charges then leave just as nice and quickly. Mark chuckled to himself for a stealth force like Loki this battle plan had the least amount of stealth one could imagine from a force like his.
The explosions, the chemicals and the bright if not brilliant placement of direct fire weapons made the incursion something of a dry encounter, the Rabid Foxes won through by maneuver, the DEST made it through by determination and drive, Loki just pelted the Insectoids from range, cleared the area and moved in, place their charges and walked back. Kommandt Von Hap was half tempted to route step his teams to the shuttles, though low on the heavy ammo it had been a milk run in comparison to the other teams. Next time he would bring a thumper artillery piece on each shuttle and walk through the corpses of the insectiods, he thought with a smirk.
As with the other teams, everyone got to there positions and the shuttle made maximum acceleration to their jumpship.
Kommandt Von Hap only reported success and no casualties as 4 merchants and one monolith jump ship arrive with the Crater Cobras and some auxiliaries.
17 days since misjump
Fedcom assault point Kilo
The mechs and battle armor of Col. Brahe's 1st Kell Hounds found the fight easy enough. They had a diverse assortment of weapons of which the PPC was most used as it easily sliced through insectiods, their armor, their vehicles. The 'heavy' combined regiment of the 7th Battalion Recon had some difficulties, having been retrofitted with mostly clan ER Lasers to save on logistics costs and mass, one shot multiple kills were difficult and frustrating for a commander like Brevet Lieutenant General Daniel Franklin XXVI who was use to slashing through his foes. As the senior commander Col. Brahe was more then satisfied with the Recon's advance and support if only he could get 'Kujo' to shut up and take a compliment he thought. That within three hours the mid-point Insectoid defenses and sensors were gone and no casualties inflicted on his side Col. Brahe was one very happy merc!!!
Brevet Lieutenant General Daniel Franklin XXVI aka "Kujo" is leading his reinforced regiment that is missed named (quite intentionally) the 7th Battalion Recon. It's harder going than usual, his forces are laser heavy to reduce logistical concerns and to avoid the insane amounts of waste heat from PPCs. It worked wonders against the clans, but not as much against the insectoids. Col. Brahe isn't worried the 'recon' has met every objective ahead of his timetable, Franklin has opened up the bugs flank and the 1st Hounds are destroying them as they retreat. Also keeping Brahe in good spirits is that couple of assault dropships, one mangled destroyer and 40 aerospace fighters have at present kept the local fighters off their jump ships. It doesn't hurt that the space between them is laced with Banzai's chemical weapons and when an insectiod ship enters, well they don't leave.
All this is fine but brevet Lieutenant General Franklin would have liked to finish this mission an hour ago and grab a piece of the main mission. Col. Brahe tells him to cool his jets, no casualties if at all possible for our side and take down the middle section of their defenses. So far so good, three more strong points, well make that two Kommandt Jacob Leigh has just dropped a fuel-air explosive with a twist, the concussive power and heat have converted 500 gallons of precursors into nice mustard and sarin derivative mist. Kujo can almost hear his chuckling and the insectoid's twitching. In under three hours, the way is open for Bulldog to take down this fortress world.
Combine assault point Blossom
2nd Kell Hounds and 6th Com Guards were a good match, though the Com Guards were a bit cocky after beating the clans and were very trigger happy (though they did identify the targets well). As with the 1st Kell Hounds Col. Dan Allard carefully eliminated his Insectiod foes and took down their defenses. the over-eagerness of the Com Guards lead to them losing a mech and two fighters. Thankfully no lives were lost among Bulldog troops.
Equipment losses are a bit worse, one mech incapacitated, two fighters will need a week in the repair bay, but Dan Allard is overall happy with the progress. The Com Guards are good troops but since they beat the clans they think their invincible. That and triple tapping the bugs is wasting ammo, one shot is usually good enough (90%), a second is need only if there's a quality control issue with the ammo (being 'experimental' yes there is more then average failures), or on the rare instance it bounces, firing three 12.7mm or higher rounds to off a bug is a bit much.
They are ahead of schedule and the main force should be there in 12 hours. Dan is a bit worried about Victor's proclamation that this is a 'war to the knife' no quarter given, it's damn close to genocide, but if they hadn't of stopped the hive ship the human race would at best be cattle, and at worst gone, his conscience not salved but at least numbed by that.
Fedcom Assault point Loraine
Col. Trudeau had the worst midpoint engagement of the attack, which following the near perfect 'bombardment' tactics of Kommandt Von Hap seemed to balance the equation. The fight went well with the 403rd Com Guards coordinating well with the Crater Cobras, but a malfunction on one aerospace fighter managed to kill two techs and mech warrior of the 403rd as well as injuring the fighter pilot. A lance of Com Guard Mechs needed a week's worth of repair the Transit fighter needed a month of reconstruction and rebuilding. Three died and one injured making it the least successful of the mid-point defense elimination teams.
Col. Shelly Trudeau of the Crater Corbas has worked with Loki and the 403rd ComGuard Division to eliminate the mid-point defenses. Their losses were the heaviest of this part of the wave due to a malfunction on one of the aerospace fighters which led to it crashing into a leopard class dropship, the pilot was severely injured and three of the crew were killed along with a lance of medium mechs needing major repairs.
The end result of Sec op and mid-sector attacks, the Insecotiods defenses on nine frontier worlds are completely down as the main assault force blinks in.
Main assault on Insectoid fortress worlds!
Victor's voice is on all Task groups flagship, he offers the Insectoids a chance at unconditional surrender within 12 hours. 12 hours come and go, fox Class corvettes, tugs, and civilian haulers during that 12 hours link up with large asteroids and begin to move them to intercept with their target planets. While that is going on Dr. Banzai's chemical mixture is being sprayed liberally in the atmosphere of each of the nine planets. When an Air Defense Artillery unit opens up, a flight of Aerospace fighters or an assault dropship 'Wessels it out' (Wild Wessels ADA eliminators).
"Avenger 23, avenger 23, this is CAG CSS Invisible truth, have weapons mount effective in Insectoid defense perimeter 30 klicks east of 1st Robinson Rangers drop site."
Hauptman Amanda Cooper commander of 1st combined 'Heavy' fighter flight responds "Roger Commodore, we have the target, Dirk, Spear, Iron, and Stark engaging any 209s or 604s in the sector?"
Hauptman Cooper hears in the background a Hauptman Tonez approx 12 Mk.209s and up to five 604s. Amanda "overheard report from AWACS, no light fighters needed, making our run." as she communicates with her three assault dropships FCS Dirk and FCS Spear both Claymore class assault ships and FCS Iron an Avenger-class ship like her own FCS Stark.
Spear and Dirk will run interceptor duty, their weapon layout of seven large lasers of varying types and two ER PPCs, before the first break Spear had taken down four 209s and Dirk three. Stark and Iron had damaged the ones that had attempted to intercept them. The 604s seemed to be on a collision course with the Avengers.
Spear cycles around and dispatches the two damaged 209, the three remaining link up with five 604s on what appears to be a suicide run as the active mount is now five kilometers away.
The Claymores make short work of the remaining 209s and 604s tried to evade as FCS Iron and Stark disgorged their autocannons and gauss rifles into two of the heavy raiders. The last three 604s seemed confused as the last insectiods when Bulldog was taking down the hive. They could have rammed and severely damaged her flight, but they were beginning to display survival instinct as they flew off no further than 50 meters from their hulls.
Hauptman Cooper knew she had been a bit lucky as she engages the capital weapons mount before it can fire on the 1st Robinson Rangers dropships. Two of the remaining 604s are chased down by the Claymores, the third runs afoul of a flight of Lucifers from the Davion Assualt Guards. The pounding of two Avengers destroys the mount and roughly a short brigade of 3,000 Insectiod Soldiers.
Hauptman Cooper "CAG CSS Invisible Truth, mount gone, many fewer defenders in the proximity of 1st RR actual" Commodore Bersick CAG CSS Invisible Truth "Roger, Air, and space supremacy established conserve fuel for targets of opportunity and ground support."
Amanda smiles "Wilco 1st Heavy Fighter flight out", then to her team "over 1,100 years to make the heavy fighter concept work", Spear, Dirk, and Iron all chuckle.
She gets a text from Tonez Insectoid troops massing near 1st Davion Guards request air support from her flight and four 'normal' fighter flights. Amanda signals her flight and makes note of where the nearest tanker is, the fight on the ground has only just begun...
The Bugs are not suspecting a strike on their frontier fortress so rapidly or so precisely. What few fighters they have been batted out of the sky by thousands of aerospace fighters and Assult dropships, as they begin to mount what few dropships they have, those same fighters strafe and eliminate them. By the end of the 1st Titan day, eight of the nine worlds are locked down, the ninth is just barely active as what little is left of their fleet fled there, Kai and his Comstar Warships are eliminating them one by one.
End Notes:
Bulldog has fought through the first defensive line, Now they head for the homeworlds!!!
Author's Notes:
Worlds are being destoried, Bulldog is on the Offensive. The Titans send a Liason to coordinate could she and Victor achieve military victory and political settlement?
apogilies for the block of text when I uploaded it yesterday seemed it was porperly space, thanks to Barrowman for the catch!
Chapter Seven,
Personal Maneuvers
In under one of your days troops from my universe, one without Titans have inflicted defeats upon the Insectoids as they have NEVER known. My Husband to be, my Brother, the Precentor Martial of Comstar and my Good Friend Kai Allard-Liao have fought as we've always fought with great tenacity, intelligence and a bit of ruthlessness. Having seen this you still have the audacity to consider my kin and I pets?!?!- Omiko Kurita addressing a protest on Donia
Enroute to Donia on ISS Traveler two hours prior to Liason conversation with Sorcha
Omi smiled to herself, it was a long conversation with Aertimus, Naskia and the newly introduced Antero. Since she had liaisoned with them and the Titans had asked her to help them determine who would be liaisoning with Bulldog. They wanted Navarchos Aertimus Bass as senior officer to be the liaison with Bulldog.
Omi had other ideas "You are limiting yourself, Victor will not trust a naval officer or any military with the possible exception of your prince."
Prince Antero "I thought Victor was averse to titles and trading on benefits granted him by his birth."
Omi smiles "he is as are you, but as a ground force commander and the heir apparent your time when your forces gear up..." Omi keeps her smirk to herself knowing the war will be if not won, very, very close to being won before the Titans are involved in combat operations "is limited, Eryn though acceptable is working with Earth as your ambassador to that world and we deem that to be more important, perhaps either of the Freemans."
Omi almost gives up the game as Naskia and Niall look at the other like she's nuts, Aertimus looks at Omi and then Niall and barely hides the what the hell look. Though Naskia has a better temperament than her husband, she would likely be a worse disaster. She would try to mother the entire task force causing no end of minor damage and annoying bits of hilarity at Naskia's attempts to scale down her actions to fit a much smaller world and people, he's not sure even the holographs could save Bulldog from the gentle Naskia.
Omi shrugs "there is always their daughter Sorcha is it..."
Naskia meekly states "she kinda of wished you to die..."
Omi beams "that was before she meet me and we had a good conversation on it, I know she meant nothing by it"
Antero "she has no experience in liaisoning"
Omi "wasn't she running the construction and organization of Tau Ceti with far too few resources and way too many refugees?"
Niall nods with some paternal pride "That my daughter did and did well."
Omi persuasively says "Victor respects those that can accomplish without complaint what others would say is impossible as do I."
Antero "well I wouldn't say she didn't complain after issues arose...
"
Omi smiles "she adjusted and realized what had to happen." Omi knew she had won when Naill and Naskia were smiling without knowing it, while Aertimus seemed at least neutralized in any criticism of his niece.
Antero felt cornered by her as he states "we'll offer it and see what happens..." Omi nods "any other will be receiving reports with less information then you will get from your news services..." All the Titans looked sufficiently cowed as they had been walked exactly where Omi wanted them. The communication ends, the 'offer' would be made, it would be one that Sorcha couldn't refuse...
If they had known a good part of why she was pushing for Sorcha was due to her dreams, well that was better not known... Though all the points in her favor were valid and would help her with Victor and herself. If anything happened to her and Kitsune, well Victor needed a strong mate and if the cup she increasingly sees coming to her does reach her Victor will need Sorcha. Omi shakes herself and prepares for bed until it happens she has been blessed well beyond most women and she will love her one, her Victor forever even if the worst happens...
ISS Gyfjon two hours later
Sorcha hears the reports from the war zone, It would have taken the Imperial military at least a year to spin up, and months of differing before they would have hit a target as large as a fortress world, Bulldog has hit 9 of the 11 all in under two Titan Weeks. Uncle Aertimus was tentatively scheduled to Liason with Archon-Prince Victor, The Field Marshal is hesitant to have a Military Titan liaison and he knows humans have little power, so Aertimus knows if Omi's 'request' is refused by her, he's going to be parked in a cargo dropship or bay and receive heavily redacted reports while Bulldog goes from jump to jump.
She enters the bridge of the Gyfjon and notes that Gwenn, her mother, and Aertimus look at her with certain expectations...
Sorcha "oh NO, your not saddle me to that pipsqueak" as she thinks as adorable as he may be, and he's all but married,
Izzy "what happened to we're all equals",
Sorcha "we are, but he's too small I will never hear him, and how am I suppose to stay with him, I am so big I will break his ship...".
Niall smirks his daughter is smiling and looking at her shoes, a sure sign she's infatuated "Well we can always get one of Rhionne's kids they are both Royals and hybrids",
Gwenn "I am sure the Prince can communicate to his sister to see if one of her children wishes to be involved in some high-level diplomacy, you know make a big impact..."
Prince Antero "I am sure Rhionne, Daz and Pierce would be overjoyed at having a son, or daughter Liason with a human task force, it would likely be a daughter since the Royal family tries to balance things out, you know with me serving as a ground force commander, but..."
Sorcha smirks and shakes her head "I would hate to have such an imposition place on your family your highness",
Prince Antero "think nothing of it, we exist to serve and it will be a good experience, you can have a break and then you can get back to the building anew of Tau Ceti."
Sorcha "No it's not fair to take your niece out from school and it's more then a internship, from what we have seen in the last 84 hours the Inner Sphere is proficient, Skilled and Ruthless, we can't have a person new to the scene show up and not be ran circles around by them, the rest of the empire might think humans aren't as bright as Titans but we know better and they'll out-maneuver a novice."
Lem twists the knife "so you are asking us to consider you as a liaison?"
Sorcha "well, ah, um"
Niall "it sounds like she is, that a girl daughter",
Sorcha "well, dad, it's just that",
Aertimus "my niece getting involved in military and international relations, Niall, it brings a tear to the eye doesn't",
Niall "it does Aertimus it does",
Naskia gets a bit involved "Tuppy while your there can you speak with this Doctor Banzai, the man's a genius on your father's level",
Niall "well almost Petal, almost",
Naskia kiss him on the head "sure thing sweetie".
Sorcha "FINE, wheres my shuttle and when do I need to be on it."
Prince Antero "the royal house thanks you for doing this Dr. Freeman" Sorcha almost cuts him off, but her control of her temper has vastly improved "if it goes well we will be indebted to you."
Gwenn "you have 40 hours, by then their 'bombardment' of the planet will be irreversible, say hi to the cute prince for us."
Naskia and Aertimus laugh, everyone else chuckles.
Sorcha "I will be resting and packing until then" as she leaves.
Naskia smiles at Niall "I think she likes him" she whispers,
Niall nods "yeap the first human since Ryan, and may have had permanence as well if he didn't have Omi",
Naskia nods sadly "well she will do what she always does learn, and she's got a big enough heart to be happy for Victor and Omi",
Niall nods "when she finally figures out she likes him, which could take her a titan year".
Naskia nods "once she's gone you and I have your punishment to dole out".
Niall "I was hoping you would have forgotten it..." Naskia shake her head "nope",
Niall "so do I want to know what its...",
Naskia beams "Shaar and Tupp! as I implied before..."
Niall groans "I am a bit old for that Petal",
Naskia "no you can lose just as well as you could when you were a younger man"
she says with a loving predatory grin,
Niall "I could be hurt, maimed even",
Naskia "Sweetie I would never allow harm to come to my PET" she says with a special emphasis,
Niall gulps "so I should have some implants deactivated...",
Naskia takes in a sensual breath "or I could do it after I have 'caught' you" as she exhales quite sultry manner. Niall finds himself be ever more aroused than normal as she is quite stealthy for a being her size placed her breasts on either side of him and has maneuvered so that her cleavage just touches his sides.
Niall "you know you flashing your boobs isn't fair Petal".
Naskia with great joy nods "it isn't, but it is fun sweetie" as she scoops him up for his punishment she places between her breasts as she walks to her cabin for his punishment, the walk morphs increasingly to a happy skip as she gets closer to her cabin...
Diona 21 days since misjump
Omi disembarks from the DCS Lotus Petal and is greeted by the largest Titan she has seen yet. Aezhay Maris with her husband Thurfrit is at the landing pad with what few imperial troops have landed and what appears to be the bulk of pro-human security forces in the province.
Aezhay "from what we have been told you are from another universe and have kept yourself busy."
Omi "it has been a very full couple of days."
Thurfrit smirks "to you and I but to my love Aezhay it hasn't even been a full day since we heard you were coming."
Aezhay still blushes when her husband expresses his love for her "Well, different worlds of origin different sleep schedules. We have about 20 hours before the next protest so we'll take you to our lodgings and let you rest if that works."
Omi nods "yes, that will be fine" as she notes just how in love she and her husband are, after children and her mate being a pet it is a remarkably stable and loving relationship at first glance. She smiles maybe there is hope for Titans yet...
Omi is taken to the equivalent of a good holiday inn, she is a touch distressed by the coarseness of the bedding, the mediocre level of the food. However, as tired as she is and in the way that she is even being in a three-star hotel won't stop Omi from getting the sleep she needs. When she wakes up she prepares herself for a march, she basically rides with Thurfit observing the first two days. She may be observing but her dress and manner delineate her from the rest of the protestors.
Two days later
Omi after waking up, and morning hygiene links up with the Aenur foundation protesters, this being her third day on Donia,
Aezhay Maris smirks at her "Why do you combine Victor's family symbology with yours, everything you ware, every day?" somewhat knowing answer.
Omi beams "cause I know as our souls are one our families shall be. We Kurtians have a lot to repent, we are like you Titans in that, though we are more than a touch worse."
Aezhay with a bit of a frown"go on",
Omi "the Kentares Massacre, the occupation of Robinson, New Ivaarsen are all wrongs my family has inflicted on his, the way we exploited his ancestor Mary Davion's children, despicably denied them knowledge of their Davion heritage, the oppression of our own people. If not for what my father has done and what my brother is doing I would not even be worthy to be Victor's friend let alone be worthy of his love..."
Aezhay nods "We Titans have a lot to answer for as well, but your successor wars, and your house's Massacre on Kentares. I am sorry Omi, but what your ancestors have done in 40, I mean 40 of my years, what that's 250 of your years"
Omi is now only "slightly" shocked by the lifespans of these Titans as Aezhay goes on "it's nearly if not as bad as what we've been doing to your kin for a 1,000 of our years." Omi nods "that's why while I am supporting my kin, I am video recording an apology to the entire Innersphere and Federated Commonwealth for the crimes we committed. My life in my homeland will be over once it's been released, my family must disown me and many powerful organizations will do their utmost to kill me"
Thurfrit Maris ponders his wife and Omi's conversation, both ladies notice him thinking, he smirks "then why do it? Victor loves you regardless, try to address the sins you are responsible for and be the best wife you can be for him."
Omi shakes her head "that may work for you and Aezhay, but he has entire political districts that would revolt and my nation may have warlords that would invade his."
Thurfrit "you aren't in that reality anymore...",
Omi nods "and as upside down as this one Victor and I may find happiness, but we still have our Giri, our duty to return and lead our peoples not because we are the best, but because there are much, much worse" she points to the block banner and Cesil's portrait "when you are safe, our scientists with Victor's New Avalon Institute of Science and Nagelring staff" Aezhay feels her feet shuffle "all under the Doctors Banzai will find a way back for us."
Aezhay "is he the one who suggested using chemical weapons and planetary bombardment like what you did to yourself during your first and second succession wars?"
Omi nods "and as you did with a number of your foes, I believe your sister schooled her best friend on orbital bombardment when she found him" she says with a coy smile and silently thanks Banzai's hacking abilities, ISF's questioning and the reasonably open nature of the Maris family as well as the tribe.
Aezhay backs off "yeah we done it as well, and Victor said it would be a war to the knife at current he doesn't seem to be joking."
Omi nods "when someone wishes to exterminate you, you can not hold back and hope, you must do what is required and hope wisdom finally reaches them before it is too late." Thurfrit and Aezhay smirk and nod.
There are a couple hundred thousand protesters, Ler, Dunnermac, Avartle, Titan and Human, the march begins over three Terran weeks after Bulldog misjumped into this universe and time. There is a feeling of hope that the demonstrators have, the human task force seems to have the insectoid threat in hand, the imperial armed forces should be able to mobilize and handle the revolting province. Then maybe a new vote can be held on human emancipation and suffrage.
FCS Yggdrasil high orbit above Insectoid fortress world 5
FCS Fox and FCS Intrepid use the carbon fiber net and weight offsets to slowly ensnare astroid B.125.C.12 it's 15 miles in diameter and is mostly nickel-iron, when it hits Fortress world 5 it will leave a mark. Slow constant acceleration, use its gravity and the gravity of the Foxes to pull in other asteroids as well, even now there is a tightening swirl of 18 such asteroids and thousands of lesser ones baring down on Fortress world 5. The Tugs, other warships, and large cargo dropships are being used as gravity wells to maneuver the asteroids into a decaying orbit, the continued and non-stop bombardment will at least sterilize the world, but more likely crack it like an egg over time.
As the chain forms the gravity of Fortress world 5 with all the new asteroids in a decaying orbit draw in more debris, to include two massive 30-mile diameter Water carbon Comets. NAIS projects that just the 'push' items would be enough to end Fortress world 5, they had a list of probabilities of various objects that would 'join' their crusade to end this world, one of the comets was rated at above 98%, that both would be 39.98%, and they were the largest items in the system that could. In the next several days the orbit of Fortress world 5 new rings will continue to compress and then one hour a large asteroid will break through the polluted atmosphere, then another, then a massive one until the world can take no more and breaks up into a billion fragments itself...
FCS Cincinnatus outbound from Insectoid redoubt to FCS Yggdrasil
Victor's 10th Lyran Guards have again led the offensive in the core, a couple wounded, mostly armor plate and expended ammunition were his losses.
Dr. B. Banzai from FCS Yggdrasil" how did the mark two chemicals work Highness",
Victor smirks "damn effective, we have the resources to make more?",
Banzai smiles "plenty from the remains of insectoids themselves and their outposts, depending on how the asteroids hit we may have enough from just this remnants of this world to keep us going through the entire campaign".
Victor "and our Ether and muscle relaxants?",
Banzai winces "a bit harder though Ridgemont has our numbers along with other proposals",
Victor winces at that he doesn't want Earth involved in what may be his second war, he would like to keep them neutral and supply both sides, get a bit of a boot-strap from both sides. He isn't sure he can pull it off, worst case they can late declare for the Titans and half ass support them. It was his goal to be back in his universe after the insectoids were dealt with. Having Earth bond to a military task force that was transitory was a bad idea, they had to have a fallback position.
Renny brings in some coffee Victor grins "thanks Renny", Renny "so boss what 40 hours?",
Victor nods, "we'll be on the Yggdrasil to see it, we haven't done anything remotely like this since the first succession war",
Renny shrugs "doesn't feel right does it",
Victor shrugs "they were going to not only kill but torturously execute all of humanity",
Renny holds up his hand "we've done more than what's required we gave them 12 hours before we started and the lines of communication have been open ever since, all we've got is a F*ck off from them. Still Highness it doesn't feel right us being the heirs of Arthur, Charlemagne, and Barbarossa."
Victor glumly nods "it's a war to the knife until they even start to communicate anything other then f*ck off we have to play this for keeps." Renny frowns "I still don't like it", Victor nods "nor do I" as they watch five 10+ miles in diameter asteroids head toward the world they just left...
38 hours later
ISS Wayfair
Whereas Omi has taken a downshift in her accommodations, Sorcha has been getting upgrades. First from a prefab command center, to guest suite on the ISS Gyfjon to what is roughly a luxury shuttle for Caucus leaders or cabinet minister on vacation. The ISS Wayfair can easily accommodate four Titans in comfort along with the crew. The storage and refrigeration areas are stocked with the finest quality foods and drinks (no hard Alcohol, and no Titan soda since she was to be coordinating, not partying with the inner sphere forces!), the coach in the lounge was nice enough to be her primary bed, and her quarters were borderline 'ROYAL'. Sorcha felt guilty at having all these nice things while Alesia, Imperail and Earth troops were all living in compartive squalor while rebuilding the mess she had made.
While Sorcha beat herself with guilt Senior crew member second class Jana Cotati comes in from the bridge.
Jana "you must be Sorcha Freeman, we have heard lots of good things about you."
Sorcha wants to bite her head off, but restrains "Well I attempt to do my job",
Jana "well..." then she stops, she know Sorcha isn't in the mood for this right now "well let me show you around..."
It is a large Shuttle roughly the size of a large Innersphere Cruiser all to carry six Titans around in luxury. All the rooms are fitted with the latest and best of everything, the beds are large enough so even Aezhay would be comfortable in one, the sheets on them are from Earth, 1200 thread count per inch cotton, no Titan could weave such a fine sheet and undoubtedly on her hybrid or another Titan's body it would be gloriously comfortable. The cost of such comfort; Sorcha guesses the empire could of feed four families, Titan families for the bedding they imported from Earth.
There are in each room a very nice bathroom set, sink of Titan marble, cabinet oak, several soft and harsh lights to ensure the guest has 'their' setting of limunation, a tan marble bathtub, actually more like a hot spa with the latest shower set up. Her room was nearly 15 units by 30 almost enough for a personal shuttle and a garage, along with the massive bed, four huge closets with 'official' clothing already hung along with some printed version of her more casual dress, two nice cherry cabinets and bookcases on either side and a very nice crystal work desk along with a new pad, , and encoder. Sorcha, while she lived out of this shuttle, was living like a princess, lucky her...
Sorcha used her guilt to begin to study Victor and the inner sphere task force. So much war for so little result, the only side that really gained were Victor's families. Each having ruled well in the most part while maintaining at least a decent level of personal freedom and individual liberty. House Steiner the Lyran Commonwealth always seemed to lose worlds but its economy was nearly always booming and growing. While House Davion and the Federated Suns after nearly being destroyed had roared back, taking world after world back, then conquering new ones. It was Victor's father who conquered almost as many worlds as all the empire had during the fourth succession war. So much noble sacrifice and drive wasted on empty throne. Though the Federated Commonwealth seemed to slowly taking Star League's place.
Sorcha smiled when she read about the romantic views nearly every inner sphere citizen and every nation had on the Star League. Technically to justify their fight with the clans they had again unified under the Star League's banner. Sorcha gave a derisive snort, the Confederation by its own writings would never truly rejoin, the Combine even with its current leadership and Omi pushing it was very hard to see and the Free Worlds League needed to be stable before it could join. It was a sweet fantasy and wise strategy but this Star League 2.0 was dead before it was born. If the Humanity of that universe was to be united it would be under the fist and sunburst of the Federated Commonwealth.
Sorcha notes it's getting late, as she prepares to get a snack and go to bed (she would be attempting to meet with Victor tomorrow, God, if there was one only, knows what kind of fiasco that could be) Victor, His mother, even his dad were striving for more self-determination, but in an environment where war was always declared even outfitting 1% of the population to fight was prohibitively expensive for anything else. They had made good progress, but they were still healing the wounds from the second secession war, let alone the first. When her head was clearer she would see the solution and help them as they were helping her. She finishes her snack, cleans up and lays down. As she slept she dreamed of gray-blue eyes and sandy hair...
Sorcha is nervous, she wonders why, Victor is a just an average everyday human, smart and capable, she's been working and living with them for her entire life (21 Titan, 136 Terran years), Victor isn't even five by Titan count. His file is impressive, brilliant in many fields, had some issues with stellar navigation (though he recovered rapidly... Renny Sanderlin 'helped' she wouldn't be surprised his issues were more to make a friend outside of court then actual lack of ability, all those engineering, computer science, and mathematics courses-no issues if he could hack those, he could have hacked Stellar navigation she thinks with a smirk). He has seen losses Trell one (where Galen Cox used his patented 'royal correction' methods, a method Sorcha used often, a nice uppercut... to 'encourage' him to leave the planet) and Alyinia, he had his victories at Twycross (some would say luck and his friend Kai, but Aertimus, Lemm, and others looked his plans and how he adjusted, Kai just made victory easier and less costly), Outreach was hell for him Hohiro Kurita and Kai kind of kicked his ass, and he fell in love with Omi there, but through the hell he patched things up with Hohiro and learned a lot. Enough to bring a single large Battalion to Tienette and rescue his new friend... only to be denied the ability to communicate with Omi... "oh Victor" she says to herself, he was at the front of his troops every chance he had.
Victor's biggest weakness is for his intelligence and ability to learn (and man could he!!!) was that he was a remarkably unremarkable Mech pilot, he was a decent lance leader, good company commander, excellent Battalion commander, borderline invincible at the Regimental level and all but a god of war at levels above that, he could run Sen. Tarsus's empire's logistical needs in his sleep while supplying the imperial military as a day job such was his skill with supplies and logistics.
Sorcha smirked to herself, yes she was nervous, but she shouldn't be, Victor had Omi and it wasn't like he was some celebrity. He was a military officer like her uncle Captian, so what if he was a genius, that he was of good character and a leader of 5 Trillion humans on 900 worlds. Well at least wasn't adorable with those gray-blue eyes and sandy blonde hair...she shakes her head, she's to be an imperial liaison where the empire could help the task force and where the task force could help the empire was to be her focus. The pilot calls over the intercom "we're here"
FCS Yggdrasil
They pick up the Wayfair, it's a bit longer than a Monolith class jump ship and has much more volume, it's transponder announces the ship and who is on it.
Victor shakes his head and smiles and announces to Galen and Renny "it seems the Empire has a sense of humor" as he allows them to read who their liaison is.
Galen has been in close proximity to every meeting with Sorcha besides the battlefield one "Vic, you and her" he chuckles "if you hadn't found Omi, well"
,
Victor laughs "is a bit too large for me Galen, about 130 feet and over 1,100 tons, not that she's fat, she's very lovely and proportional, but..."
Renny and Galen share a smile "if you didn't have Omi...",
Victor smile "maybe I am always trying for the woman that is impossible",
Galen "Clara Oswald", all three moan,
Renny "no more classic Dr. Who..." Galen Beems "what she's an impossible girl..."
Crewmen Jana Cotati thinks how pretty the FCS Yggdrasil was a well-armed ship of roughly 23 Units in length, her large shuttle only out masses by 3 to 1, but even with her shields, the 'tiny' (to her) weapons would rip through her ship. It would be a death by 1,000 cuts as the Naval PPCs she sees would strip off, or even easily puncture her shields at max (which are nearly as powerful as large warships such as the ISS Xifos), their lasers and autocannons would at least dent and melt the armor and her Phase cannons would barely scrape it Ferro-carbide composite armor though the crew may get a good rattling from the hits. It still wouldn't save her or most Titan ships.
The tactical assessment being complete, she notes it is a much more solid ship then hers, actually more solid then anything the Titans have constructed. Everything even the jump sail is built to survive a battle. That is something in their arrogance Jana admits the Titans like her overlook, yes they want survivability, but not at the cost of a thousand other things. The FCS Yggdrasil would never be a ship of exploration, but as a warship, a Battlecruiser, it would bring honor to its designers and makers and would likely outfight even the Talanis class even being 1/10 its length.
Jana activates auto dock, only for it not work, she overhears on her comms "Imperial ship please vector 20% to starboard"
Jana blinks twice, Manually docking, Sorcha overhears and heads for the co-pilot seat, Jana "what are you doing",
Sorcha smiles "Dad taught me how to dock manually before I was ten, something about keeping the family alive when we go on trips..."
Jana smirks "your mom that bad a pilot",
Sorcha grins "you are using pilot and my mother in the same sentence they do not go together" both ladies laugh loudly, as the space traffic controller squawks in "Imperial shuttle is everything ok?",
Sorcha answers "yes we assume there isn't an auto-docking mechanism on your ship",
the control laughs "everyone who flies the lowest end drop-shuttle knows how to dock, why would you burn needed computer power on what you have been trained to do endlessly?"
Sorcha smirks, a very human attitude, one she partially shares "roger traffic control, assume you want our airlock on that large egg looking thing on your docking clamps",
Controller "good call, lining up it well, you have flown before, keep it up" Sorcha being Sorcha shows off and lets inertia dock them. Controller "good job whoever docked that 'ship' glad someone trained you well"
Sorcha smiles and says "yeah my dad did, you won't believe it when you see me but he's human as well."
Jana and Sorcha secure the Shuttle as around 40 Federated Commonwealth engineers and technicians secure the ISS Wayfair from the FCS Yggdrasil side. Within minutes the ships are docked together.
Somehow they managed to get what for a human would be a massive dropship, for Sorcha it's good working space, it's docked and accessible to her shuttle and their cute little battlecruiser (though it along with most of their hardware is quite potent regardless of its smallish size to her at least). The ground crew shows her around, she doesn't pick any of them up and thanks them. If she could have carried them the 30-minute tour would have been over in five, but they were civil and polite and for her to even ask to pick them up right now would be a bit rude and very uncomfortable for them. It was her job to be as unobtrusive as a 142-foot tall woman can be. She wants to set up her holograms, she's able to be their size, her and crew member Jana will at least have it prepared.
Senior Crewmember 2nd class Jana walked around what was to her a decent office space roughly six by six units with eight units of height. It's been scrubbed surgically, they have gone to great lengths to ensure the floors and walls can take serval Titans/Hybrids mass. The color they choose was a light baby blue to paint their space. Overall she likes what they have set up for them, it wasn't easy and they did it rather rapidly, but those things she would expect from humans. Her consideration and appreciation of that work was somewhat unexpected of Titans in her mind. Jana's teal eyes gleamed. She had always thought a bit more of humans than her peers and seeing what the small and industrious beings were capable of only increased their standing in her eyes.
She was no giant by Titan standards, at 114 feet tall she was even smaller and more pixyish then Eryn, well, her chest wasn't (not quite Naskia's but nice Jana thinks large enough to be 'interesting'), but everything else was. Her blonde hair with purple highlights, her thin yet trim arms and waist, she even had slender hips and thighs. She didn't consider herself to be a knock-out, but she was cute and smart and whoever was leading the ground crew seemed to appreciate that...
Jana wasn't sure if those humans in the Empire were ready for citizenship, it wasn't that they weren't capable just that too much time and effort had been invested by Titans in putting them down. She would keep it to herself but she felt national plus was the way to go. It would give Humans time to show what she already knew them to be capable of, and shine a bit of a different light on them then what Titans were use to. Sorcha would almost certainly dislike her from then on and though she agreed with Sorcha, Loona, and the whole pro-human Titans, she just didn't think the Titans themselves were ready. However, she knew the humans from Earth and those from this task force were more than capable and they were 'exotic' enough that Titans could look through less jaded eyes.
Speaking of humans as she makes a final check of their 'office' space, she sees the cute one again, he is looking at her with some intensity. He is definitely the boss of the ground crew, Blonde hair, medium blue eyes (she thinks), nice oval face and square jaw, yeah Jana hoped to see more of this man as he with some humor gives her a half bow and roguish salute and exits 'their' territory.
Sorcha calls the Yggdrasil, "this is imperial liaison Sorcha Freeman, I request an audience with your command, or whom you delegate".
Kommandt Cox "our food stores are a bit limited, we would like to meet for dinner, but about 500 to feed and..."
Sorcha looks at Jana, Jana smiles "we've got enough for one of our months, you want to start to deliver food and drink to the various task groups?"
Sorcha nods and responds to Cox "we have plenty, my crewmate and I will be happy to share, by your clock 1900 for dinner",
Cox smirks that will be fine "in Behemoth we have set up for your workspace?",
Sorcha smile "that will do, have a dining room set adequate for whom you are bringing and my crewmate and I will use our desk and chairs as well",
Cox "sounds great see you at 1900".
Jana looks over to Sorcha, "well my lady lets setup", Sorcha nods as the women begin to occupy their workspace in the pressurized hull of the inner spheres largest dropship.
As they work the asteroids hit the planet, all watch in awe as with every hit the world seems to crack and crumble until the second to last asteroid hits and the sphere just turns to dust and particles, millions of Insectoids are no more, no trace they ever existed... Both Sorcha and Jana are stunned, will the death of a world let the insectoids know they are serious...?"?"
End Notes:
The innersphere is now fully engaged, will the Titans spin up their forces in time to help?will they adjust their culture to the new comers?
Next chapter will have some intersting devolpments, stay tuned.
Author's Notes:
Insectoids are on the run, Niall and Naskia enjoy Martial Bliss while Sorcha and Victor get to know each other.
Chapter Eight, New Jobs
I didn't have a clue what diplomacy was, I have NEVER been diplomatic, but seeing Victor and his friends just talk and work with us I believe I can make mother and father proud being the Empire's Laison. How can someone with so much responsibility and power put me so at ease...-Sorcha Freeman
Insectoid hive mind
3 billion killed, another 300 million will be(as it adjusts to the loss of nine fortress worlds with the last two already being targeted), sensors out, 'BULLDOG' capable of regrouping and striking any hive world in less one galactic week.
options, fight, surrender, deceive, retreat.
FIGHT
FIGHT
FIGHT
We have no warships few fighters, we are short of warriors...
FIGHT
We could offer to surrender buy time
FIGHT
as the hive amps up production and reproduction of it's members, it knows it's resources are finite, it had taken 50 Titan years to build the class 1 hive ship, it contained all their ships and 90% of their fighters. The population couldn't be amped up again after this last effort there wasn't enough food and other resources. Surrender and deception could have worked but they did not understand how the bipedal mammals thought and in their position especially with how they eliminated their fortress worlds they doubted they would listen to either surrender or deception.
They had picked up a curiosity while 'fighting' they had been able to analyze the DNA from the inner sphere, it was not small bipedal perfect matching, it matched 98.8% of this universe's humans, with the difference being a few additional codons and sequences and even more surprising is that it matched 98.4% of Titan DNA, it just lacked the sequences for galactic standard size that Titans had. The Small Bipedal mammals A(Innersphere) could produce progeny without modification with either the Small Bipedal mammals or the large Bipedal mammals. They may, in fact, be root species of both...
*@ISS Gyfjon, Niall and Naskia Freeman's cabin
Niall was trapped between his wife's thumb and forefinger having lost his first game of Tupp and Shaar in at least 30 Titan years. It was the first they had played in 30 years, Naskia though she had enjoyed it, felt... uneasy doing the things she did to Naill the other times she had played. She was 'punishing' him for not trusting her, so she could justify what was a burning hunger in an otherwise nearly perfect marriage. She captured him as Naill attempt to escape her, her passions for him, well they were already strong, had passed through the roof. She had denied herself for his equality, what she realized while holding, pinning him, beginning the loving torment of him was that he loved it as well. That he knew full well when she controlled him nothing dangerous or harmful would happen, that when her passions were fulfilled his would be as well. So as she sets her beloved husband down on their bed, all three inches to her eyes she smiles with love and desire as well as just a bit of wantonness in her. She places two fingers carefully to hold him and then proceeds to tickle him with her tongue...
When Naskia wasn't tickling the heck out of him with her tongue, he was quite happy with the loss. Naskia was happy winning, but wasn't 'satisfied', not even close as her right hand kept her husband under control and safe, her left caressed all the parts of her body that needed, ached to be touched.
Having won she got to ask the questions "Niall am I beautiful?" Naskia moaned slightly, it was an easy question for Niall, he said she was dozens of times a day,
Niall "God yes, the most beautiful being to ever grace my universe", louder moan, and shallow sigh as some of her honey began to drip near him.
Naskia "do you love me?", again easy, even easier than the last question,
Niall "Petal I love you more than my life itself! I can't live without loving you, you and Sorcha are the only beings I would give everything for!",
A short primal groan, deep sigh and a reverberating moan as a small squirt of her love lands on him. Oh God did she love this, the power she held over him, her sheer immense size and beauty, well to him as she squirted a bit larger dose. If she could she would do this every day and he would love it, but it wouldn't be fair, he's done a lot more for her then she does for him at least in her mind. The guilt merging with her power only drives her higher, she must complete this, she must enjoy it for the pride he's about to sacrifice.
Niall gets a bit nervous when Naskia's left-hand focuses on her love and its nub, and how her breathing is deeper with each passing second and how her moans now shake the entire bed, she's ready to start tormenting him...
Naskia's Blue eyes gleam in power and lust for her man, her scent is overwhelming and getting stronger by the second, he's halfway in a puddle of her love that's only deepening and expanding as she states "oh so good, so powerful, I am a goddess to you aren't I" her last easy question,
Niall nods and states "yes..." and gulps. Naskia screams in pleasure, her moans echo off the cabin as she breaths deeply enough to begin to pull Niall closer to her mouth.
Niall is scared to death and aroused as hell at the same time, just like the last time they played, though he guesses Naskia won't be quite as 'kind' as she was then, gentle yes, kind not as much. The question comes out as primal grunt "Naskia is better than me at everything", Niall defiantly states no.
Naskia just smiles as her tongue tickles his left leg, "again Naskia is better than me at everything!", her body and mind haven't been this aroused since the last time, oh God the power and control, her dominance over a brilliant being, it is so godlike and wrong, the competing emotion only spur her pleasure higher and higher so she can enjoy it for the power she feels and that she has to enjoy for humiliation she's already put Niall through. Niall only persists in his defiance which only makes her more aroused, she feels even more powerful as he's tiring with only two fingers holding him gently.
Niall thinks he can hold out, there's only so much tickling she can do to one leg, Naskia smiles, it's almost as if she can read his mind (having been married for over two centuries she can) as she randomly tickles other areas, feigning anger Naskia asks with her voice projecting every so slightly "Naskia is better than at everything",
Niall is like a two year being tickled all over "ye, a of cou",
Naskia smiles lovingly "what was that?",
Niall still quaking from her tongue "YES, OF COURSE, YOU ARE!",
she uses her middle finger to caress him "such a good little Tupp" she smiled, with every second becoming more predatory.
Her tongue goes from the top to bottom and she gets ready to start the torment again, she's never felt this aroused and powerful even the last time they played, she's hoping his pride will make him endure the last two questions for a while, the more defiant he is the more powerful she feels when he finally surrenders.
Niall is coated in his wife's love and salvia, he is naked as the day he was born, she's not even trying to hold him with her two fingers (she doesn't want to hurt him), and she's getting off more this time than last time, she's had at least three quasi-Os and whatever she's building up to his world is going to rocked! With all that there is no place he would rather be, nothing he would rather be doing, it has been far too long, they are equals in mind, soul and spirit, but not in body, hers vastly dominates and she's been making exceptions for him for years. Does it frighten him to let her display her dominance, HELL YES, but it also excites the Hell out of him, a physical goddess Naskia would (and had) been able to deal with any of his resistance without even trying, he needs machinery and technology to even have a sporting chance. They both know it, they both have ignored it most of the time, Naskia cause she loves him, Niall cause he's a pain in the ass he admits, Naskia's goddess is gentle and loving, but it is dominating and demanding it should have been released years ago, and they should have worked to let her out more often.
Naskia picks up on Niall being deep in thought, it causes her to plateau until she knows what it is. She with a gentle and loving grin asks "what are you thinking?" as she begins to tickle.
Niall "how Aertimus and I weren't in the greatest shape with that hive ship, how we should have done this more often",
Naskia moans a bit "but it's all about my physical dominance over you, something you can't help", Niall "but you are physically dominate over me, and you never use it", Naskia is again climbing in her feelings of power and arousal, "oh, I think I do from time to time, not as much say Aisell, that girl does believe you are equal to us titans, just not equal to her", both laugh,
Niall "Aisell is a bit of an Aisell supremacist",
Naskia chuckles and nods "but she would never deliberately hurt a human, or intentionally damage their pride",
Nail grin as he places his hands on her tongue strokes just the right way "but like all titans, she has a soft spot for us adorable humans, and like my goddess here can understand at least mentally we've got you beat."
Naskia just shakes her head "peers maybe" she chuckles "betters never", she grins "some maybe just a bit below titan level" and she lets out a thundering moan "and you all need someone like me to protect and love you!!!" Niall smirks Naskia is letting her goddess out again as she sighs "ok little tupp, you've had your fun mocking me" she says with mock disdain, "tell your goddess you are Niall and you are a dumb-dumb",
Niall "NEVER!".
Naskia brings out a trick she's been thinking of for those 30 years, it's a bit more torturous and she didn't want to use it... but Niall 'forced' her to. Her tongue focuses on random ticklish spots while her middle finger 'helps' Niall's arousal, but will not let him release.
For five minutes he resists, his lack of release and inability to adapt to the tickling slowly waring him down, the goddess Naskia only feeling ever more powerful, more aroused and more in love.
He finally breaks laughing uncontrollably "Niall is a dumb dumb", she's tempted to let him release, but she needs his seed for later. Niall "please, please let me release",
Naskia shake her head and her dripping wet finger no "love I need your seed for my garden, we can't just waste it", Niall nods and gets comfortable knowing what's coming next.
Now Naskia bubbling, joyful and happy states "I Niall Freeman am Naskia Bass-Freeman's PET!" Niall "NO", Naskia slowly almost too slowly begins the torture again, she doesn't want him to give up, not for a long time as her trickle becomes a flow. She wants him to endure and endure until her least ministrations bring him to beg for her mercy, which she will grant but not before her 125-foot tall body displays all of her physical power over him.
Niall notices Naskia is putting on a show for him, she stretches out her feet, shows her toes to him as her middle and ring fingers keep tickling him, as her left-hand caresses her feet and toes, then her ankles and knees. She can feel him as aroused as she is when she begins to caress and dibble her love, she comes so close to a premature release, she has to force herself to slow down and enjoy every moment.
Even with minimal pressure on her thumb and pinkie, Niall isn't going anywhere, so she uses them to help with the torment, the poor man is shaking like a two-year-old being tickled by their 'mean' older siblings. She asks again "are you my pet?",
Niall screams and laughs "NEVER", as a primal sigh and moan come from her body Niall does become a bit scared.
Naskia is losing control, she knows it, all the power she has, all dominance, but even with her scary grin and eyes full of lust and hunger, the largest emotions she is feeling are love and protectiveness, each feeding her pleasure even more than her lust, hunger, and power. Her love for Niall, her willingness to do ANYTHING to protect him feeds her and her needs.
She knows she doesn't have long before she can no longer bare him, children, Sorcha was such an experience he might not want anymore, but she desperately craves at least one more. With the way, the universe is, just a couple more, so his legacy is even more established. Her moans take on a fever pitch as with surprising delicacy she moves Niall ever so gently away from her now coursing stream of her love. His defiance, combined with her love is stroking her flames nearly to fusion levels.
Naskia is at most at peak, she half-whimpers half screams "are you my pet",
Niall has been resisting for 20 minutes, his nervous system is going haywire and her gentle strokes are torture now denying him release while stoking his lust to her levels.
he finally yields "Yes I am your PET!", as he is gently lifted to a pillow away from what happens when Naskia finally peaks...
"OH MY GOD" Naskia screams, every peak her and Niall have shared seem to become molehills or bumps in the road, not that they were not awesome, but her current release is beyond anything a mortal should be able to feel, or witness in Niall's case, by her fourth thrust she has broken the bed, the sheets are saturated with her essence, and her scent only seems to get stronger and more potent with each of her nearly endless releases. She turns to her mate, her love, her husband and moans so loud he has to cover his ears to avoid damage "oh Niall I LOVE YOU!!! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!"
Niall is aroused, frightened and in love all at the same time, Naskia's peak doesn't seem to ending, every minute she seems to be intensifying the Titan rated bed is a ruin beneath her power, the only thing that diverts her from caressing herself is to move him to a safe place, as the furniture has a way of becoming crushed and scented ruin under her body. Finally, she starts to calm down after 20 minutes, 20 minutes of a goddess releasing her passions on a cabin that could only survive approximately seven minutes of said release. She coos and caresses the over-awed Niall who drops to his knees as if to worship his wife.
Naskia beams at him "you did all this for me", he shrugs "pet, petal ah wow" Naskia laughs and gently kisses him "I finally have you speechless my pet" she chuckles,
Niall with a touch more blood flow to his head "I had no idea, are all of you, well I hope you haven't had to settle..."
Naskia frowns and raises his head with a kind caress of her pinkie finger "I doubt any Titan has experienced what I just did, I don't think a Titan could engage the emotions needed for it".
Niall tries to look down, but Naskia's pinkie won't let him "cause you have to protect us" he still sounds down.
Naskia smiles and nods "That's part of it, as is our size dominance, but the biggest part is the love you have for me and the love I have for you. It comes from you being my equal you fighting for it, for me and for our daughter. Without that love, that determination I couldn't have reached the heights you let me reach and when I call you pet you know that I am just as much your pet as you are mine. I don't much believe in God or an afterlife, but you being you make as much as a case for one as anything I have ever seen. Our souls are linked only you Niall could make me feel the way I just did..." as her breathing slowly returns to normal. Niall seeing her beautiful and vulnerable (if such a colossal being can be vulnerable he chuckles) wife looking at him with longing remembers he hasn't released his need yet.
Naskia notes it and smirks "I have had my release, you want yours" Niall nods. Naskia offers her right hand, Niall still a bit shocked at Titan wrecking machine his wife was while she was peaking hesitates. Naskia smiles gently "I kept you safe from me while I was to you a living earthquake, you know you are always safe with me silly." Niall nods and gets on, just being near this beauty and all the pheromones she's dumped into the cabin let alone the ones she's still pumping out and he should have peaked by now. Naskia smirks "you can't peak until I say so Niall", and it clicks his member is beyond fully executed, his seed is at a hairs trigger why can't he release, it comes to him his Petal has a psychological control over it, being so dominated, seeing a being of such strength it is in this respect she owns him... he's her pet..."
She takes him to her love and gently places him there and gently, lovingly rubs him into herself "oh" she moans, "Oh" reverberates through her being into his, as she moans "Now Niall", his body responds by releasing more seed into her than he ever dreamed. He begins to relax and rest but Naskia won't let him "that's a good start sweetie, just two more" as she caresses and loves him, her love slowly coating him again as he recovers in record time this release is agony as much as pleasure it nearly equals the volume of the first. Naskia happily states "oh my Tupp is strong and fertile..." as she begins to build him up for the last one. Niall can't believe it, he's already released twice in quick succession his body shouldn't be able to be so quickly ready, but even now his member is stiffening his remaining seed is reloading and Naskia is nearing her second peak.
Naskia smiles down on her husband, he would be amazing accomplishing this when they first met, more likely godlike, now it's even more impressive due to his advancing years. Having your Titan wife go Magna grand mal peak likely inspires one she giggles to herself. Even now his third contribution to their future child. Her hands and fingers caressing him unti... Oh god, he lasted a minute the first time, 50 seconds the second, oh, oh, oh god 45 this time. She lets him cool off and picks him up.
Her right palm holding him up to her face "Niall as your pet I would ask what I need to do, but I know I have exhausted you, I am going to clean you up place you somewhere safe and warm and you can think of what you will have me do for you tomorrow ok?"
Niall nods wearily, Naskia gently hugs him, he says to her "I am a bit tired for a shower",
Naskia smiles as she brings him to her face again "who said anything about a shower" as she opens her mouth and delicately places him in. Niall "Naskia...",
Naskia mumbles around him "it will only be two minutes sweetie", Niall gets increasingly nervous, but it's mitigated as Naskia carefully keeps him away from her teeth on the front half of her tongue. She knows he's a bit frightened but it is something they haven't done in while so she figures it will be ok. Having waited long enough for his seed to travel, Naskia uses the last minute of clean up to stroke herself to a peak, while firmly yet gently holding her man to the roof of her mouth.
Niall can't help but to release himself as she peaks, Naskia smile and gently removes him "that wasn't so bad now was it sweetie" smiling down on her love,
Niall all but exhausted smirks "I will have design a holo-program to let you know how that feels"
Naskia knows how tired he is and how much he's done for her and lets it slide. "now for the warm place Sweetie",
Niall can tell by where her hand is moving and the increase in her scent "you don't mean to place me in there..."
Naskia nods "it's nice and warm", Niall "but", Naskia shushes him "I will protect you my love, and thank you for this night I hope it wasn't too much a punishment, though I think we will be doing it more often"
Niall nods with resignation "Aye Petal",
as she slips him between her folds "don't worry I will make it enjoyable for you as well" as a couple of tears flow from her pretty face,
Niall states as he falls asleep within her love "as long as you are happy Petal"
As he lays his head on her bulb caressing it as he falls deep into sleep. She keeps her right hand over him like a blanket for his 'sleeping bag' as she falls asleep as well knowing she will love no one like him, that she will protect him and that in his own way he will protect her as well. Both are enveloped in the other's love, Niall physically, Naskia spiritually and both emotionally as they sleep in bliss with the one they love the most.
12 hours later,
Niall evidentially gave Naskia a couple of wet dreams as he is covered in her goo from the hip down. Naskia slowly gets up, she had a number of good dreams with Niall in them in multiple sizes, oohhh they must have been good looking at her husband struggle against her love honey. She discretely chuckles as she gently helps him out of there.
She sees that he's had some good dreams as well... "Niall is this a break or are you up?" she asks,
Naill "break",
Naskia smirks ok you have 45 minutes if you want to get back into your 'sleeping bag' otherwise you have the bed or your apartment to sleep in."
Niall "Petal, me returning to the 'sleeping bag' would make a shower pointless",
Naskia smiles "I know."
Niall takes care of the biological functions his faster metabolism creates as he does Naskia takes the medical monitor to herself, hoping, she knows she's programmed it right, Niall hears the dinging as well as she does, he smirks there will be time to go through its history, Naskia doesn't purge things as well as she should, as he at least rinses the funk off of him so he can get a brand new coat latter...
Naskia looks at the monitor, oh god yes, yes, egg fertilized, implanted, cells multiplying and umbilical cord formed, male well Hussal Luke is the tentative name no genetic defects of note (thank you, god, at their ages...), looks like 130 to 150 feet tall when all is said and done (likely to be a bit shorter then Sorcha, she had 140 to 165, hybrids tend to be on the lower end) and with genetics alone will score 83 to 95 on the titan intelligence test, Sorcha got in her upper range a 93, hybrids are slightly underestimated on that test. It's a struggle not to hug Niall to her chest and proclaim to him I pregnant!!! She just has a mildly creepy loving gaze on everything he does as he waits for her palm and is placed back in the folds where he helped to create a new life. Both have a very satisfied smile on their faces. Naskia is going to give him so much sex and please him any way she can, Niall knows she is and most of the secret she's 'hiding' is it a girl or boy is the only question for him...
*@Back on the FCS Yggdrasil 24 hours prior
Victor, Galen, and Renny were in their dress uniforms,
Renny "Victor it seems wrong that I have more medals then you do...",
Victor "Renny we go through this every time we're in A(s), I as a Soldier up to a Battalion Commander could be awarded for my middling piloting, and decent gunnery as well as my courage and initiative, when I become the official Archon Prince designate you know as well as I do I could be earning a FEDCOM Medal of Honor a week, if it was sincere and legitimate there would still be questions, and there was always a chance I could just be giving myself medals, so..." all three in key "the Golden Fist and Sunburst and two Silver Fist and Sunbursts are the only awards I will have." as they arrive in the cleared out Behethom they hear like a loud and happy chuckle between two rather tall women is actually subdued and stifled by Jana and Sorcha testament to the scale difference between them.
Sorcha notices that the boys are 'overdressed', or more likely she's more causal then she should be, she's never been a diplomat.
Sorcha shyly smiles "ah we have food, I am guessing you have burgers and fries from where you come from, well this is the titan version" she nervously chuckles.
Victor confidently smirks "ah an actually edible state dinner" as he strips down to his Class Bs, Renny and Galen do the same.
Sorcha in a decent off-white blouse and 'jean' sits, the 'Burgers' the boys she could feed the ship for a week let alone the 'fries' and salad, Sorcha and Jana hand our three large plates (for humans) to each of them.
Sorcha says "dig in",
Victor, Galen, and Renny bow their heads and pray to thank God and their hosts for the food. Sorcha's kinda of embarrassed, Titans are kind of all over the map with religion, all three of these men are Christian Victor and Galen are New Avalon Catholics while Renny is a Lutheran all do follow the unfinished book movement.
Victor, Galen, and Renny note their buggers are closer to very large sausage or hot dog shaped sandwiches rather than the typical circular bun.
Sorcha shyly smirks "sorry everything was Titan-sized..."
Victor knows Sorcha's going to be nervous because it's him, let alone her first jaunt into diplomacy smiles with compassion "it's ok, there was no way we could of feed both of you with what we have on hand, the geometry of buns isn't important." Everyone having heard enough of 'Human' speech laughs. Victor smiles somewhat more seriously while slowly shaking his fist a Galen "the foodstuff, kind, the grain foodstuff kind..." he laughs himself.
Sorcha smiles gently down at him, Jana swears she feels something shift in Sorcha when she's around Victor, it's nice when she isn't trying to overcorrect.
Sorcha "well ah, yes the bread, bread we cut it as best as we could to be in proportion to your size..." she turns away as she 'brushes' her hair "like our dress it wasn't the most considered thing which being half Titan my focus..." she feels a gentle caring touch on her pinkie
Victor "it's ok, Lady Freeman, you are new to all this and thought it might sound self-promoting I think you are doing quite well."
Jana sees Naskia's smile in her daughter, not just any smile, the smile when she's near her husband Naill and he's paid her a compliment or told her a joke that brings her joy. Both Renny and Galen pick up on it,
Galen "so you have actual Titan size cows?"
Sorcha shakes it off a bit "what",
Galen smiles "so you have actual Titan size cows?"
Sorcha shyly smirks "not as such, genetically they would be closer to deer, but with..." Sorcha takes 15 minutes telling the story of 'beef' in the Titan world. Jana is a bit bored, but Victor, Galen, and Renny enjoyed the story (if it was a bit long...) if Jana's instincts aren't off she thinks Victor enjoyed it the most... she hasn't seen Sorcha smile so much since she boarded her ship.
Victor smiles "well Lady Freeman that was very interesting, thank you. So how was..."
The conversation becomes friendly and personal as Victor asks how her trip was, whats her impression of the inner sphere force, whats her degrees in, about her childhood, he doesn't pry just asks. Sorcha asks the same, both are over-achievers, Victor would say Sorcha is likely smarter than he, but he's finally almost finished putting the chip on his shoulder away, Sorcha has just started to. Sorcha is surprised by the Archon-Prince, she can tell he never wanted the job, but he will do his utmost cause he can't run from it. He's the first person outside her circle of friends to be nearly as bright as she is, he's charming but in a very nice gentlemanly way. She likes his smile, his eyes, when he doesn't have a stick up his but and when that happens he is very cute! Sorcha keeps the alcohol consumption down their "beer" is more sipped then drunk by all. Toward the end of dinner, she is averting her eyes more and more as she finds herself liking the small man with a big heart she's liaising with.
They chit-chat as they finish the meal. Sorcha looks a bit guilty as she gets a second burger for her, anywhere between 10-30% of Victor, Renny and Galen's meal is left as they plate it for snacks later.
Sorcha, as she bites into it, smiles "I am a bit bigger and my muscles are a touch denser then Jana's, so I need a bit more." Her eyes pleading that she hasn't made faux puas.
As the eating ends for everyone but Sorcha,
Victor states "dinner was quite delicious if we hadn't had a large lunch before we would be asking for seconds as well. Since you do have human musculature..."
Sorcha's eyes widen and brighten he's already read up on Hybrids??? Victor nods as if to answer her question and continues with a beaming smile "you are in need of a bit more nutrition then 'full' Titans such as Jana."
Sorcha finishes chewing and says "if you give me five minutes we can discuss my duties and what you need from me." she says with a sheepish yet sly grin.
As the dinner ends Victor asks "is there anything you need from us to be more comfortable or effective"
Sorcha almost modestly says "No, but it seems you need food and water, what would feed a company of our soldiers for a week would likely feed your entire fleet for a month, I can put in the request",
Victor "please do, Thank you Lady Freeman",
Sorcha blushes for the 100th time "I am just Sorcha, your highness",
Victor grinning sarcastically "please Field Marshal will work just fine" as everyone laughs but Sorcha, Victor touches her pinkee "it's a joke, call me Victor, my friends do",
Sorcha giggles "ok, Victor, well the night was very informative if a bit informal, next time I will be better attired and have a more appropriate meal",
Victor smiles happily "please don't I do enough of those, like four months Galen?",
Galen Smirks "closer to six",
Victor continues "nearly six months of those things a year, where nobles who haven't done a damn thing since their ancestor got the bloody title talk down to those without their titles and dress up. Sorcha, I would rather dress down and talk with folks like you any day with a good normal meal then endure a day with those 'nobles'" Sorcha is pleasantly chuckling she really likes this prince if he wasn't a prince and if he didn't already have a princess...
Jana, as the clean up ends "you were the leader of that work crew, weren't you" she says with a knowing smile.
Galen looks around "who me?",
Jana puts her palm softly in front of him "yes you, you know you are quite cute."
Galen smiles charmingly "I thought handsome would be a better descriptor."
Jana very impressed at how he's handling being flirted with by someone 19 times his height "you Davions don't know fear do you?"
Galen smiles "I am actually a subject of the Stieners, but neither of us has much fear for physical danger to ourselves, as military we fear for our comrades much more."
Jana grins "you know I am 'military as well?" Galen smirks and nods, Jana "I would like to you tour my ship if all goes well you may tour the pilot."
Galen for a moment is taken slightly aback, but as Jana continues her cutely predatory smile he nods "I think I would enjoy both..."
Jana, as she brings her hand between her breasts, smiles down "I have no doubt you will Galen..."
They say their goodbyes, Galen takes Jana up on a 'tour' of her ship, Sorcha thinks he's going to get a tour of the pilot as well, they really hit it off. Sorcha would report what happened to her mom, who would forward to Uncle Aertimus, she thinks of it as a rough draft final paper concept.
23 days since misjump ISS Gyfjon
Communication room, Naskia sees her daughter "Tuppy how are things", the quiet tugging of a smile means things are quite well.
Sorcha "I am a miserable diplomat, I was in the wrong clothes, served the wrong food...",
Naskia "Tuppy from what you sent me it looks like you have good information that we can help them with food and drink",
Sorcha "yeah, but mom that's easy",
Naskia "and it's not even your first day, so how is this prince, Victor",
Sorcha "he's ok",
Naskia "oh really" watching her daughter fidget like that when she was with Ryan and Joseph (Naskia tried to keep her face calm, Joseph might have been the one for her baby, but he died saving her and Alesia, she couldn't fault Victor he was trying to save them as well, and he did finish the monster know as Myrell). A faint smile comes across Sorcha's face, the first sign of joy Naskia's seen on her face since this ordeal took Joseph Archer-Mavoy "he's not what I expected, he's a normal guy" she gushes "with a 170 IQ and a bit of a Napoleon complex, but he keeps that under control" kinda of cry-laughing.
Naskia "he's is very small dear" she chuckles,
Sorcha nods "his heart is very big though, he told me he never wanted to Archon-Prince that he does it so 'someone' worse who wants it won't hurt his people." Naskia smiles at her baby, she is infatuated with Victor, she might even have begun to fall for him, she nods for her to continue, Sorcha broadly smile without even knowing it "his top two aides are 'peasants' Galen Cox got the job for punching him out, calling him an entitled dumb ass and evacuating him from a battle with the odds against him so far that it would have Aise...Felltree (keeping the Kayfabe) desperately trying for a minimal loss"
Naskia smirks "so the heir to a 900 world empire promotes the guy who knocks him senseless",
Sorcha beams "bit more complex, out the academy they posted him as Kommandt, highest of the lower officers in their Armed Forces, that was because he was a Royal, he resented it, he knew he should have been a Lieutenant like all the other graduates, the lowest officer rank",
Naskia smiles "so I gathered Tuppy",
Sorcha "well his dad, more on him later don't know if I like him or he's a warmonger" Sorcha smirks hearing just the little bit on Hanse Davion Victor's father has her knowing the man, like his son, is a complex and rich character. Victor is very much bad news first so Sorcha guesses the more she hears the better he will be, but the one thing that skews things in his favor is his establishment of the New Avalon Institute of Science.
Sorcha continues "well they have Royal houses, Victor is from the strongest economy-Steiner, and Military-Davion, the seedy thing for Hanse is he went to war with another house, I haven't got the whole story, but that other house Liao, which is odd since another good friend of Victor has the last name Allard-Liao... seems to have done something to Hanse and another that had Hanse Davion plotting revenge for what two titan years"
Naskia "that's a long time for a human"
Sorcha "yes it is, but he CRUSHED the Liao, he could have taken their entire state, but he left a bit for Kai's mom, Grand Duchess Candace Allard-Liao and a rump. Again not sure on his dad, Though Felltree and Marionette would probably have to at their best to take him in Tol-Bot. His mom seems very sweet and loving, from the brief videos and pictures she's charismatic as all hell, she tames Hanse's warmongering and forces him to focus on development. But the next strongest set Hohiro Kurita",
Naskia interrupts "another of his friends?",
Sorcha smiles her eyes gleaming "yeah their houses have been at each other's throats for even Titan centuries, but Victor was posted to a backwater cause Hohiro was, their fight the families had decided were to occur when each of them were to take power..."
Sorcha goes over the technologically advance warrior clans and how none were ready for them, but how Victor managed to devise and develop a large part of the defensive and later offensive strategy against them (Victor would say he came up with a few ideas that were roughly parallel with what others had reached, she knew better, she could tell by the tone of his aides voices he reached most of them and more first, and his aides especially Galen felt no compunction in kicking his ass if needed), How Bulldog was mostly his baby after the trap his sister had laid for him at Coventry (Sorcha only knowing Victor for a short time, may just have to kick his younger sister's but)."
Naskia "sister?",
Sorcha "yeah need more information, seems she tried to kill Hanse and Melissa, Melissa is Victor's mom",
Naskia smirks "he told you this", Sorcha rolls her eyes and goes on "NO!, just things about how his dad's medicine has to be adjusted, and how flowers arrangements had to be scanned..."
Naskia frowns "so you picked up on non-verbal and verbal cues on your own how would you father put it 'Sleuthing'",
Sorcha nods "there is a definite change in all three men, Victor the most when they speak on Katherine, they are definitely hiding something." she smiles showing off her vast learning and reasoning abilities
Sorcha "So anyway Victor ends up saving Hohiro, even though he couldn't communicate with Omi, the price he paid to do them a favor."
Naskia looks horrified "They knew how they loved each other and still cut him off after he saved their heir"
Sorcha can feel the rage building in her mother "Her grandfather, arranged it for them to communicate again, Hohiro and Victor went from being foes to friends, with a bit of help from Hohiro's Sister Omi"
Naskia is impressed her daughter remembers all this, she does LIKE Victor a good deal or she wouldn't have gone into this much detail as her daughter continues "he got the other houses to form a 'Star League', named after the same government in which they hit their heights of tech and development, and he and the Precentor Martial were chosen to head up the Taskforce to drive the worst of the clans from his Finance's realm" Naskia notes Sorcha begins to lose a bit of confidence "then they miss jumped, but Cox, Galen's family name is trusted by Victor more then, anyone cause he would correct him by any means, he would make sure Victor's subjects would be getting the best out of Victor and if he's wrong Galen would kick his ass and Victor would thank him for it" Sorcha smirks a bit rambling, but she did get to the point eventually.
Naskia "that's a lot of information, Tuppy, though not much on Omi",
Sorcha gulps Victor did go into some detail on Omiko Kurita, but... "it's in the report mom!" she states curtly and with a bit of anger,
Naskia smirks to herself it's all she needs to know "So you will be able to work with them", Sorcha nods happily "yes, I don't foresee any huge..."another voice sounds like Jana's "yes Galen, yes, RIGHT THERE OH THE EMPEROR, THATS GOOD LITTLE ONE, OHH, MMMPH", Naskia and Sorcha break out into giggles,
Naskia "it seems Galen isn't only good for advising Victor, it seems he's helping Jana plot her way to the 'stars'",
Sorcha "I told her on the way humans are amazing at what they can accomplish, I guess..." "URRGGHH, GALEN, OHH, OHH, OOOHHH" and then they hear in the background the several hundred tons of Jana crashing down "are you all right little one, oh, you were masterful", Mother and daughter can envision how Jana is lovingly holding Galen now as each have done so with humans during Marriage for Naskia and dating for Sorcha as she continues "she's found out" as they laugh uncontrollably for minute or so.
Naskia "please ensure Jana has her contraceptive implants active, evidentially these Innersphere human are genetically different from ours, they share more of our DNA and are likely fertile with either 'local' human or Titan." Naskia seems to be holding something back,
Sorcha "there's more, you and dad?', Naskia nods, "I am going to be a..." tearing up happily,
Naskia nods "a Big Sister, you're going to have a baby brother in about six months!!!".
Sorcha forgetting for just a second how big she is and how loud her voice can be, yells "That's Great mom I am happy for you and dad" Within moments a half-dressed Jana and Galen rush to see if she's ok, and her voice reverberates through both ships.
Victor arrives with Renny chuckling at Galen a bit and whispering to him "first contact went well?", Galen smirks and gives a thumbs up, Victor "Sorcha are you well?"
She's embarrassed "ah, yeah, sorry",
Victor smiles "it's ok, just remind us if you can sing we don't need to set up a sound system", Naskia can be heard Chuckling, Victor goes to the monitor "Ms., Er Dr. Right", Naskia nods "Dr. Freeman thank you for allowing your daughter to liaison with us, she is extraordinarily bright, charming and full of good ideas, I could not ask for a better partner from your side of this", Sorcha blushes,
her mother nods "Tuppy is a very good and bright woman Prince.." Victor cuts her off "as she is my friend I hope I can extend my friendship to you as well",
Naskia nods "please my friends call me Victor or your nickname Shortcake if you will, I didn't ask to the Archon-Prince I just want to the best I can in my families business so that others may prosper."
Naskia nods "Victor I doubt you will find a better woman then my baby, but I am biased",
Victor nods "as all mothers are, even mine, congratulations on your new little one, if we are still around I would be more then happy to see him" after making sure the very red Sorcha is ok other then embarrassment, and that Jana hasn't been scared off the three leave.
Naskia "he's adorable!!! much more polite than your father, but in his league intellectually."
Sorcha "mom, he's kind of spoken for..."
Naskia "I know but still if she wasn't there, well that's enough, I will hear from you soon and tell Shortcake to be good to my daughter."
Sorcha laughs and moans "bye mom!"
As the line close Naskia smirks her daughter has just in her own way admitted an interest in a downright adorable, smart and decent man, shame she is years too late in trying to claim his heart, but both will learn and can be good friends.
Niall "so everything is ok with our babies? er, baby?",
Naskia smiles "yes, Sweetie, now let's look over all that tech your daughter sent us and see where we can advance ourselves and help all you humans fill out your tech tree"
Niall "your saying we're impatient and hop from one thing to the other",
Naskia places her hand beside him, he gets on and she nuzzles him "you already said it, sweetie, now well do a longish day for you of 12 hours, then some martial sex, then you sleep and I will have summaries ready for you so we can complete a titan work day, more martial sex, eat, then I sleep and you have your summaries ready for me, that work?"
Niall "aye Petal" as he hugs her lips and goes over the reactor specs "genius with materials, the design is awesome, what anti-matter too dangerous!!! Dark Matter to unstable, Dark energy the worst of the three. Oh well, simple basic Fusion worked for them."
Naskia "they make huge leaps, then ignore all the applications! either to dangerous, to costly, all ways of saying would take to much time and what we have works, I can see four ways of making their jump drive better, it's simple, effective, genius really makes our warp gates and drives seem ponderous for energy to speed ratio, I mean it gains enough power to work from a simple polymer collector, they don't need anti-matter or better their energy efficiency is awesome."
Niall "I see three, what around 100 TLY?"
Naskia smiles "yeah about 635 of your light years, easy, and thought you would only see the one that needed the biggest energy budget, Sweetie I have trained you well" she kisses him,
Niall "aye but do you see the big breakthrough the one you can jump anywhere in the universe for twice the current energy budget?"
Naskia, looks, and looks, Niall sees she gets close a couple of time, and he points it out "there", Naskia, "dang it I was close", Niall "you were Petal, and a month or so you would have had it and the cooling system it's going to need which I am still trying to get my arms around, but as you have trained me I have trained you."
Each continues to read and bounce ideas off each other, it would sound dry and boring to anyone else but for them it is one of the truest expressions of their love, Naskia provides the base and support, she finds all the good that can milked from the discovery, Niall pushes through makes new discoveries and drives beyond each making the other better, each improving and filling out what they know, in a sense they are making love through their knowledge, bind closer in their pursuit of fact, and loving just being together as Niall kiss her fingernails while she move the page on her tablet caressing
End Notes:
Insectoids are on the run, things seem to be going well for the Innsersphere and Titans, but can it last?
Author's Notes:
Back after writing a 112-page chapter 20...
yeah it's going to be more like four to six, can't have a major battle, interpersonal issues and prep for another battle with political issues sprinkled in.
Nine is the begining of the end of the insectoid war, it foreshadows the generally darker turns to come.
Basically Omi makes her choices in this chapter and everyone but espeacilly Victor and the Empire will have to live with her calling...
Chapter nine, Barricades
When things most seem right is when they tend to go wrong. The war against the Insectoids was rolling on with minimal causalities on our side. The Titans seemed to be getting the message and had a better than 50% chance of getting there before I had to exercise 'stupid' options.
Omi was with my son and my hier, the most beautiful woman in my universe was about to grace this one with the most awesome and beautiful thing she could. A Child, a Son from my loins, that it obliged me to marry her was nearly as great a thing. Then circumstances changed, the center did not hold, life and Murphy came crashing into me with a vengeance.-Archon Prince Victor Ian Steiner-Davion
Diona One month since misjump
Aezhay looks at Omi again, "not to be tactless but you have a bump on, or in your belly",
Omi Smirks "it's those huge eyes your seeing things",
Thurfrit "I am your size and Lady Omi it seems your belly is a touch bigger, also you saw this Diedria Lear person, I thought she was a doctor...",
Palsa Temis "even half a Titan like I can see it",
Omi smiles "it just my little Kitsune"
Aezhay having Omi resting on her palm "you've been tired a lot, your eating somewhat more, did you and Victor... oh sorry I am a touch tactless though".
Gae "leave the poor woman alone, if she is with Victor and her child then stressing her will not help, and if she's a bit sick and fatigue while gaining weight again pestering her won't help".
Thurfrit "Lady Omi isn't Kitsune Japanese for Fox", Omi nods, he continues "the Fox is strongly identified with your fiance's house, most notable you told us Victor's father was nicknamed the 'fox' for his intelligence, guile, and cunning",
Omi "that is true, but foxes play an important role within many Combine religions and cultures, it's just a happy happenstance that my Beloved's house's Totem animal is also a key Totem to the Combine" she smiles the only way she could make it more obvious would be to name him 'yellow bird' as she politely chuckles.
Aezhay "so what news from the war front?"
Temis "our fleet is mustering outside of the federation and the inner sphere, well it ain't pretty to be a bug!".
Omi "Victor, Hohiro, and Kai are fighting the threat as they should, I am proud of them all"
Aezhay smiles "but especially Victor" as she gently rubs Omi's back, Omi just shyly smiles.
Back at the Aenur Foundation Lodging 'connecting FCS Yggdrasil, Archon-Prince Victor Steiner-Davion link',
Victor happily asks"Omi?",
Omi ecstatically nods "Victor Beloved",
Victor "are you well Dr. Lear says you have something" Victor arches his eyebrow, part of what she has he feels she 'caught' from him while she was overseeing his recuperation.
Omi shrugs "Dr. Lear says it will linger for a few months, but after a fairly intense fever breaking" Victor stifles a laugh "it will correct itself Victor my love, Dr. Lear was most professional and did say it was a common occurrence".
Sorcha crames herself in so she can see his pad "oh hello Lady Omi",
Omi chuckles "Dr. Freeman, I hope you are well",
Sorcha "Victor keeps me busy, for him being so tiny and being overwhelming Royal he's actually a nice guy" as she strokes his back in a friendly manner.
Omi laughs "it's taken many years to de-dour him, you know he doesn't want the job..." she giggles,
Sorcha, smirks "oh I haven't heard, that in the last five minutes".
Victor laughs "I have to debrief our MI-6 and I have a Hive homeworld to pelt with very large asteroids, even Sorcha thinks there big," he says with his eyes smiling.
Sorcha "they are, well if you go I figure I can arrange U.N. Transits and supplies from Vorsha."
Omi "Victor has business, please Sorcha speak with me a moment,"
Victor shakes his head "Ok ladies, Omi take care of that bit of biology that you have going on, 'Kitsune' sounds like a cute sneeze" he chuckles as he leaves
Sorcha can tell through the display the depth of Omi's love for Victor, she feels a bit guilty, she and he have been getting along great, Victor has an almost supernatural ability to gently cut her off before she goes too far, well in anything but particularly 'THAT'." As Sorcha can read Omi, Omi can read Sorcha, Victor is everything good of Ryan, Odin, Joseph and others combined to her, she's not blind, but every day she feels something growing inside her, that Omi actually has their lineage developing in her womb makes her a bit envious, though she knows Omi is too good a person to hurt, Omi picks up on this.
Omi "five years ago we would have fought over him",
Sorcha "no, he's always been yours...", Omi "ten years ago you might have had a chance" she giggles, Sorcha, snuches her face and learns forward-looking confused, Omi beams "Victor has a thing for tall women...", both shake heads and giggle,
Sorcha "well your 1.8 meters is in the 'somewhat' normal range for humans as opposed to my roughly 42 and a quarter meters",
Omi smiles "It wouldn't of matter, Victor always goes for the most difficult of challenges, and I have heard you were quite challenging back then."
Sorcha "I am going kill Odin, or was it Ryan?" her huff becomes a laugh,
Omi knows it's a sore spot, but one she's growing out of "Aezhay seems to have all the good stories.",
Sorcha smirks "could be worse, you could have Aisell out for you..."
Omi nods "I heard of some of the 'punishments' she's inflicted on wayward tribe members." Sorcha "and that's her being controlled with humans she can easily 'deal' with, make trouble as a Titan and see what happens." It felt good for both of them just to chat, Omi back to task nods "So if anything happens to me...",
Sorcha "it won't!",
Omi "Sorcha from what I have seen of Titan culture, you don't really have a God... no real concept of an afterlife or things science can't explain. That's in part why humans have been oppressed and left as pets."
Sorcha "cause you all believe in such silly things" being agnostic on good days, mild to moderate Athiest on most.
Omi shakes her head "since Titans are the biggest and most advanced species, they believe no one can judge them but themselves, that they are the essence of right. The need to protect..." Sorcha nods "without a belief that something, someone moral will judge...", Omi "you become the judge, we Kurtians suffer somewhat from this, We are the Emperor and Shogun Combined! We are the God-Emperor of humanity, but we are nothing as compared to the arrogance of Titans, good and bad, good will listen even allow 'equals' to make decisions, but they will try to veto anything remotely hazardous to those same smaller equals, Aezhay tried to confine me to bed rest."
Sorcha "you do look tired...",
Omi shakes her head "it's the Titan in you"
Sorcha "intellectually I understand what you are saying but it's genetic and cultural, there are few braver then the humans I associate with, but even I who identify as human want to snatch them up and place them somewhere safe before a battle starts, we are bigger and stronger we feel we need to be out front."
Omi "but size is a single dimension",
Sorcha "yes and we lose out on your intelligence and adaptability, we even shove those things to the side because we BIG TITAN we PROTECT tiny 'dumb' humans..."
Omi giggles "when that human has the solution..."
Sorcha smirks "to that and the next four issues in the near term, when you got a problem that needs a quick solution find a human when you have YEARS a Titan,"
Omi contemplative "so do you have a soul Sorcha?"
Sorcha "I don't know... I hope I do, but mom and dad...Religion wasn't really discussed",
Omi looks down "I have been a Buddhist all my life, then this Christian comes into my life..."
Sorcha "Victor's a New Avalon Catholic and member of the Unfinished book movement..."
Omi Nods and places her hand on her chin and looks to the heavens "I hate to believe the humans of my Earth needed two saviors Buhda and Christ... that's a bit much for any species."
Sorcha "I don't know how many saviors Titans would need, enslaving your people, abusing you, treating you as unintelligent things"
Omi smiles and looks her in the eyes "that's where you are wrong, if the Christians are right, the very being who created us, shed his own blood and life for us, powerful isn't it, an omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent being so full of love that all us lesser beings are saved just by belief, and we are saved even if we have been in revolt for 99.9% of our lives, just beg for forgiveness as your life ebbs and mean it... no judgment till the end just LOVE...he or she doesn't cage us, he or she might visit us in dreams or make arguments with our conscience but they don't use that vast power to force us to do anything, they don't look down on us cause we aren't all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present, they love us cause we are limited but we are working on making things better..."
both are crying Sorcha "what you ask is too much for mere mortals Omi, Titans if they were to think like this, well the empire wouldn't have oppressed the Ler, Dunnerc, Avertale and Humans, this God of yours values each soul as his own, Titans can't quite get there, neither can humans I am afraid..."
Omi nods, "but my beliefs have shifted since I have known and loved Victor, I can't find all knowledge in Budha and Christ though undoubtedly my brother doesn't provide all the answers either. I guess I am confused, but I need both right now." Sorcha listens without judgment, Omi continues "my dreams since the misjump, they are so vivid..." Omi seems serene and calm "I am called by whom I am just getting to know to help free his people and help those who enslave them..."
Sorcha "you are doing that right now, you march for everyone", Omi looking beyond everything with tears "I will be killed by the black block, I will be in Steiner Blue, Davion Yellow, and Kurtian Red, my unborn son will be martyred, I hope I can save some of the marchers..."
Sorcha "that's crazy Omi, you can't know...",
She smiles, one full of love for her sister Sorcha "just a year ago I would have agreed with you, but baring me being crazy or a chance my father is calling me home... When he does you must be there for Victor!!! He will be angry, he will like his father Hanse want to take vengeance on those who did it. He will maintain his honor and compassion, but his pain will be so great, he won't show it, but it will destroy him if he loses focus, loses love, loses faith. Only you can stop him when his pain, hurt and anger reach their peak. Save his soul Sorcha, keep his body safe, and when it is done we will all live in love."
Sorcha says "oh Omi" as the link breaks...
Two hours later
Aezhay huffs "Sorcha, she seems fine to me, she's pregnant, she's in a WHOLE NEW UNIVERSE, aren't you the one tell most Titans ease off the protective instincts and let humans be humans?"
Sorcha looks down a bit guilty "yeah",
Aezhay "we'll keep an eye on her like all the other protestors, but we can't bully, protect or shelter them, not any more not after what that's done to them..." she says with a tear "Aisell would tell you what it cost her and Luke...",
Sorcha half sad, half exasperated "I know in most cases I agree, but..."
Gae interjects "but what, they have free will and intelligence, we can help, but when we start taking away choices Sorcha... I lost my husband, he was martyred to the cause of freedom" Gae tears up a bit "I could have kept him alive if I restricted his movements if I kept him at home if I had treated him like a PET! Better for even those who killed him or celebrated his death that he died on his feet an intelligent being full of wisdom and compassion, rather then a base creature I would have forced him to be if I kept him in a cage like that!"
Sorcha calms down a bit "you've seen the conversion, you tell me what I should do?"
Thurfrit "as a human, I would watch her, care for her and pray as she might say that 'this cup pass her by'" he had been reading the Bible and other earth religious texts of the late Yamanu use of Dr. King's philosophy and tactics had impacted him. He continues "she's not seeking death, she feels that death is appointed to her, if there is a conflict, well she's even fiercer then her husband to be, she will STAND and if that is her decision then we must honor it. If she is afflicted or we can save her without destroying her in the process we do that as well".
Aezhay smiles at her tiny little husband "I am so glad I married you" as she traces her necklace, and nuzzles her nose into his chest ever so gently.
Sorcha "Ok, I guess I will let you get back to it, we're just waiting before we mass drive Hive one, two and three."
Aezhay "good, tell Victor to give those bugs what for!"
Sorcha smiles "just all of you be careful, it looks like the loss of their hive ship and their fortress worlds have severely diminished the Bugs, but for you all it only takes one idiot to turn a march into a massacre."
Thurfrit nods "that it does, Sorcha, that it does..."
Three hours after that
Naskia "I think your father knows," she says grinning,
Sorcha "mom, he does and if you left your pad or med scanner anywhere near him he knows the sex, estimated body dimensions, intelligence level estimate...",
Naskia "Niall you wouldn't read my pad would you",
Sorcha hears her dad Chuckling madly "not for any of your journals or private stuff, but HELL yes I read your medical data Petal"
Naskia taps her pad's history and his overt and deliberately placed markers that he was there! a couple of journal entries he thought were medical that he back out of in nanoseconds
Naskia "Niall",
Niall "before you get angry Petal how about you check your access to my pad" he smiles disarmingly,
Naskia huffs and counts to ten "I just want to make sure you are ok Sweetie."
Niall "I am not stupid enough to go near even pertinent data on your well-being without having plenty of evidence you were doing the same and at a higher rate I may add, than I ever conceived of doing" Niall ends with an amused laugh,
Naskia smiles warmly but with just a touch of menace "well dear since you did make sure I knew what you were up to and I was a bit" Niall laughs, Naskia continues "a bit sneaker and worried more broadly about you",
Niall smiles "it's ok Petal, I forgive you",
Naskia can't believe her lovable, little husband has outmaneuvered her on what should be an easy case of 'your wrong, you need to be punished', that she was worse wasn't the question, she wanted just a touch of her dominance she and he was enjoying in the bedroom to migrate to normal life, she would have backed off knowing she's done worse but the arrogant bastard that's her husband beat her to it. She smiles, his intelligence and the way he's tamed her are very much parts of why she loves him, she just wishes he could miss a thing or two when she's trying to guilt him!!!
As her mom and dad on her Uncles flagship ISS Gyfjon play like a couple of teenage lovers Sorcha clears her throat, Naskia stops her gentle and loving caressing of Niall, who shakes his head "Petal I think she wants to speak on Omi and Victor..", Naskia turns remarkably serious in seconds. It's always amazed Sorcha how her mom can be the most loving and caring of being but when something demands her attention the silly warm Naskia become as focused as any dour scientist. Naskia "Tuppy what's wrong", Sorcha isn't aware of any cues she might have given her mother, Naskia "baby you look like that when you told me you almost killed Alesia before first contact",
Sorcha "I don't know what you are aware of with Omi..."
Naskia "Tuppy you can't do anything, she has to make her own decisions, right Sweetie",
Niall "I have seen enough of the insanity of organized religion that you don't want my opinion, it will be to embittered and coarse!",
Naskia nuzzles him "as opposed as arrogant and prideful" she chuckles,
Niall "Damn Right" he laughs, Naskia giggles, as he continues "she's not suicidal and she is her own being, the only way you have a slight chance of getting her back is having Prince Victor call her back" he tries not to have contempt for the title, he likes Victor as a person, but being born...Well he didn't ask for it and he's not going on benders like some royal family members have (well at least on Earth, the Colvones line seems to take their status as seriously as Victor takes his lineage as both being a Steiner and a Davion in his universe) after his slight pause Niall continues "only Victor, Hohiro can't, Kai can't, you can't."
Sorcha "thank you, so you will brief uncle Aertimus?"
Naskia "of course baby, I been doing for the last few days, now your father and I have some more reviewing of inner sphere tech then we are going to have sex like a couple of teenagers...",
Sorcha "MOM!!!"
Naskia and Niall laughs as they disengage the link, Niall "do we...",
Naskia has dropped her bra beside him "I believe you were going to ask if we needed to review those techs before we enjoyed marital bliss?"
Niall gulps as she flashes her well-endowed and much larger then he is right breast to him, loving his consistent and awed reaction, for over a hundred years and the man is reduced to a puddle of mush by her body, not that she doesn't get hot and bothered when is small form is naked,
Naskia purrs playfully "I don't think two children will be enough, and though it will be a couple of Terran years till Hussal makes his appearance, I think you need to be in shape and practiced for the next one, you agree don't you."
Niall nods as he gently but firmly takes her right nipple into his hands Naskia "Oh, that feels nice..."
four hours later
Lunch went well, more briefings, they had some nice small talk and chats on what was going on in the Federation and Donia. Sorcha asked for five minutes with Victor, Victor is used to the two or more rule, in which he ALWAYS has an aide or officer there in the office so that they can be sure he didn't do anything improper, or has security in case someone wants to kill him.
Galen shrugs "if she wanted to kill us, well she would of" he half grins,
Sorcha sarcastically "oh little ole me" with a smirk to match the statement,
Renny "yeah if she going to off you Vic you really couldn't stop it..." with a cutish grin.
Victor "ok, five minutes Sorcha",
Sorcha "thank you, Victor, thank you."
Sorcha "Jana you go play with Galen",
Jana "I have some maintenance and reports, I can't just go into the converted dropship and...", the 114-foot tall titan sees a slightly upset 142-foot tall hybrid who is likely five times as strong as she is and Sorcha Really, Really wants her out. Jana "yeah I can converse with Galen and Focht on our supply runs and fleet positions...",
Sorcha puts on her plastic smile "Great Jana, why don't you do that?",
Jana, as she leaves with an alacrity Sorcha hasn't seen in her before, says "on my way boss"
Victor chuckles "if people weren't so scared of you, they would love you",
Sorcha "are you scared of me Victor," she says with a playful predatory grin,
Victor "No, I have seen death one too many times, I know if I am afraid and let it rule me my people will pay, basic once the foe has me I am died anyway, to beg or delay would only hurt those I need to protect." She tests him places her hand down hard and nudges him on, Victor just shakes his head "if you wanted me dead I would be", she curls her fingers hard enough to be painful, "again your point?",
Sorcha is a bit flustered, he is afraid, but not of her, not of death, but of failing his people, it makes it very hard for her to intimidate him, the same is true for Omi...
Victor "so are you going to crush me or tell me something?"
Sorcha eases off "sorry",
Victor "it's ok, you've been tense since at least lunch."
Sorcha "I am worried about Omi",
Victor "hrmph, yes DMI4 gave me a copy of your conversation."
Sorcha nods "did you watch it",
Victor "only what they considered vital for my understanding of a 'foreign important personage' and her state of mind."
Sorcha "I am no the 'important personage'"
Victor "No, I know how it must seem to you, you haven't talked about your faith, I am not even sure you have one, but for Omi, it is very important..."
Sorcha with a bit angrier then she intended "Important enough for her to die?"
Victor "if that's her belief, Should Yamanu of placed his life ahead of 'pet'" he says the last word with contempt and bile,
Sorcha "That's not fair, he wasn't looking for death, he responded the best he could when hell found him..." Victor strokes her hand, it feels good, almost too good as she says "please stop, I don't want to comforted I want you to recall Omi",
Victor "do you also want me to never mount Prometheus again, never enter a combat zone?",
Sorcha knows a good part doesn't, but he is a Prince, a Marshal, a Commander, a Soldier, and a Warrior, he can't, she gets misty eye "it's not like that, you have to do what you do, it's not fair, but you choose it" not quite believing the last, he's a Davion they don't get to choose not to fight...
Victor "this is her choice if she falls I don't know what I would do, but I can't lock her away in a cage, she must be able to do what she wants and needs."
Sorcha "I keep telling myself how human I am, how I need to keep our kin out of cages, but when it's someone I call friend or care about, I either try to kill them to keep them out of danger" harsh guilty giggle "or try to cage them like the pets I sware they aren't! What's wrong with me Victor?" as she nuzzles him,
he again begins to stroke her palm "you have all that physical power Sorcha, you are convinced you are right and those that disagree need to get out of your way. Those that could be hurt need to shut up and be safe. You believe what you believe but when it hurts you quickly look for exceptions and add-ons to it. You don't want to be hurt, you don't want those you care for to be hurt, but in doing so you lock them away. It's your Titan need to protect, it's in such a strong physical form, and we 'mere' mortals are so small and you are so bright, your strength and intelligence have to be right..."
Sorcha "I don't mean to when I calm down I usually do better" she tears up,
Victor "I know you do, Omi knows you do, your best friend Alesia knows you do, Maybe Alesia can keep an eye on her their both expecting, they would have that in common"
Sorcha "so instead of pulling her out I am supposed to put a friend with a child on the way in?"
Victor "you know it's wrong to make decisions for others" Sorcha nods guiltily, Victor continues "Alesia has a good head on her shoulders?",
Sorcha smiles "yes, she smarter than me",
Victor "I am amazed blood isn't shooting from your nose right now" he chuckles,
Sorcha caresses him with her cheek "I am arrogant Victor, not stupid" she giggles "but yes she could likely make Omi see the danger if danger was there. Then she would be able to either convince her or get help and yes everyone would have a decision as well as a choice without me banging my fist or placing a sentient and good being in a cage..."
Victor "good you can learn" as he signals he wants down,
Sorcha shakes her head, "not without a reward my Archon-Prince", She kisses his head, she means it to be a friendly gesture, but it is more tender then she meant and lasts a second or two into the awkward phase, well for her...
Victor "Thank you, Sorcha, next time a nuzzling hug might be a touch more appropriate "he smirks,
Sorcha "yeah I think your right" as she does nuzzle him and lets him down gently.
Victor looks back and wonders what his world would have been like if she entered his life ten years ago, he shakes his head, he will keep her in the friend zone and she will be ok.
Sorcha feels her heart beating rapidly, what did she just do, how did it happen, with every question she realizes more and more that she's falling for him... It's ok, Omi will be ok, she can be their friend and it will slowly fade, she's sure it will, yeah just like she was sure humans need to be free until it hurts her or those she cares for... She will get a hold of her overprotectiveness, in fact, she focuses on it since she dare not focus on her other moral dilemma...
End Notes:
The stage is set for the ending of book one, just three more chapters then another war will be covered in book two. The action will only increase in Chapters 10, 11, 12 and 13 as will the stakes. Thank you for reading!
Author's Notes:
The story begins to shift, current wars are concluding will new ones begin in thier place?
Chapter Ten Final Preparations four weeks before we 'negotiate' it, two weeks more and it will be negotiated then we'll have a stable empire, Your Earth Republic will develop all the Super-Mus around and the tech windfall from Bulldog will keep everyone but particularly the Freemans busy for nearly one of your centuries.-Floor leader Qorni in conversation with Sectary General Ridgemount
Two hours later
Alesia picks up her pad "Sorcha! how are you doing?"
Sorcha smiles "fairly well liaison with a prince and all", both chuckle "how are you, the Baby and Moze?"
Alesia "fine except he wants me to get married and stay home, which is damn close to what I am doing now!!!"
Sorcha "why you are one of the best educators in the Empire",
Alesia snorts "yeah I am still considered a 'Pet' to Loona, and the "wild" humans of earth have used that to put their people in place, I still have a job and I will be honest a great paycheck, but I will either have to give it to Loona or become a 'wild' human myself."
Sorcha "I have been so busy dealing with Bulldog, Federation, and FEDCOM politics haven't stayed current with empire politics..."
Alesia smirks "oh Forna gave Loona her half a loaf, human national status, funding for training, ability to hold jobs, it's just it was a bit seedier then sold..."
Sorcha turns a bit red "the jobs allowed were...",
Alesia smirks "yes, menial or hyper-technical, if I was on the Maris farm picking glow barries I could earn a paycheck, if I was fixing cables or warp drives for a business or the imperial navy I could receive fair pay, that I am a highly trained educator, well that wasn't covered, Loona apologized but the conservatives want to have a crack at human votes so the only ones holding the keys to the higher-paying, better-skilled jobs will be Forna's bunch, not that they aren't doing a good job, the eagerness and the human ability to learn has converted anyone with an inch worth of fairness, or even a glimmer of an open mind. I am willing to bet even Forna knows we are the Titans intellectual equals, or she wouldn't have offered the UN five billion credits to buy out our contracts, make us nice new happy citizens of Earth and not have to worry about us voting or keeping the ignorant masses as liberal block voters. Hey if you can oppress a people for six thousand years, give them a couple of decent crumbs then have them vote for you, now that Karmic Jujutsu."
Sorcha "that is smart, do you think the majority of the 300 million humans will buy it?"
Alesia "they are just getting through their heads they are nationals, that they could be free and they need to have jobs soon, Forna is many things but stupid is not one of them. She's the one who is seen as educating them, finding them jobs, and will once they are ready to give them the vote. She can delay full suffrage for up to ten years and look like a hero to both her extremist branch and most humans. She can say over and over "I think they need a chance to get on their feet and find the spark that is in their inner sphere cousins and earth siblings. Let them have a belly full of food, a job, and an education, once that's achieved we can allow the poor dears the franchise."
Sorcha "she's outflanked Loona."
Alesia "and how most of the Avalonians have taken good-paying jobs with the UN and are turning in their Empire national cards for Earth citizenship, I hate to say this but I think Ridgemont and Qorni worked something out, they may have had a conversation or three and found out they weren't so different..."
Sorcha "great, Ridgemount wants the skilled labor and to be seen as a liberator of oppressed humans, Qorni wants the liberals out and wants to be seen as the one who started the 'productive' humans on the path to freedom while maintaining Titan values. I can see them cut an add for the other's campaign, "Qorni/Ridgemont (their interchangeable) 'she was a tough negotiator for her country she had to she was dealing with me, we disagreed on a lot, but we both agreed humans in the empire needed a shot and by God/emperor we gave them one, If you are a human in the empire or on earth and have noted the jobs/money/education the humans have been getting you know whom you must vote for on... vote Conservative/Ridgemont.' It writes itself Alesia."
Alesia huffs "the two who got us into the most trouble are going to be reelected maybe with landslides. Well, I am sure you didn't call to get my blood boiling and upset my baby!"
Sorcha "no, not really I just need some eyes on the situation in the Federation..."
Alesia "you have Aezhay, Thurfrit, Gae, oh no, no..." Sorcha smiles weakly "I need eyes on the ground for another expectant mother",
Alesia "who?",
Sorcha "you don't know her...",
Alesia more insistently "Who?",
Sorcha "she's from the Innersphere",
Alesia "GOD DAMN IT, Sorcha, tell me WHO?",
Sorcha as sheepishly as a 142-foot tall woman can be "Omi Kurita-Davion, Well Omi Kurita now..."
Alesia shakes her head, and sarcastically smirks "you mean she and Victor",
Sorcha "yes, and"
Alesia "and from the news, we have on their stars, that she's going to have a child that could at best be described as a MAJOR headache for her line and both of Victor's",
Sorcha "from my time with Victor and studying their history, Kitsune, his son would be a major challenge for all the states involved to get over",
Alesia laughs "the child is already named, oh, that's good, and the only thing worse is that she's in the Federation where they may if they could kill her and that child",
Sorcha nods, Alesia "does the block know what they are doing to the Insectoids?",
Sorcha "Victor and his Regiment are clearing out the last defenses now as over 500 asteroids are heading for Hive 1,2 and 3, Hohiro and Kai are likely at the same points with the Remote Hive and Furthest Hive."
Alesia "yeah, I will go so that I don't see you and the other good giants/giantesses become beasts of burden. The only way you could unite Kurtia with Davion and Steiner would be to kill the unborn child and it doesn't help to have a highly popular princess-like Omi." Sorcha " Pryvani will have a shuttle ready for you, be careful."
Alesia "well Moze won't be happy, but at least I have a job..."
Sorcha downcast "I am sorry",
Alesia "don't be, I need a couple of impossible missions to get my confidence back after what Myrell did to me",
Sorcha a bit shocked "are you ok? I have been so busy...",
Alesia "getting their day by day, been talking to Alex about it, and getting some advice from Ryan and Thyilla, he says hi by the way",
Sorcha smiles "he was always a cute one, Thyilla doesn't want me killed for what I did?",
Alesia smirks "nope, she has her man, that you couldn't see what she saw, well she's very thankful to you, that's all," she says with a mean grin,
Sorcha "I guess I deserve that, in my defense, I was pissed off, couldn't see straight and was bad company to everyone!" she says with a lop-sided grin,
Alesia shrugs "you were always a good friend to me, your still my best friend, it's just you and men, you seeing anyone?",
Sorcha looks away guilty, Alesia covers her mouth and laughs "NO!", Sorcha looks down, Alesia "you want me to keep safe the woman you wished dead when you first meet Victor, the same man you are..."
Sorcha "be quiet, you," she says with guilt and sadness.
Alesia "oh Sorcha, I am sorry, when you pick a man, well Ryan, Odin, Joseph God rest him, and now..",
Sorcha "hush you," she says half laughing.
Alesia puts her hand on the pad "it will be ok, everyone who knows you loves you, and if you would avoid hitting them would love you more" as she kisses where her friend's forehead is on the pad.
Sorcha smiles "thank you Lessy!"
Alesia "no problem, now you owe me two", Sorcha, "I thought I was up to 13 again..."
Pryvani was going through her business data, everything was going well. Political not as well but it seems that the conservative block was trying to snatch up the human votes in a manner that would allow them to do so while promoting "Titan Values". Qorni finally started us her tactical and operational brilliance in a field where she could add votes to her coalition rather than fighting against the grain of history. Loona had been outflanked, liberals should be able to win seats lost by the Titan party, but Floor leader Qorni had good moderate Conservative candidates for 33 out of the 35, they were liberal enough to rebuke the treason of the Titan party, conservative enough not to upset local sensibilities. They would vote her way, that Pryvani was certain.
That and her covert alliance with Secretary-General Ridgemount, the way the other had spoken about the other just months ago, it would be assumed they hated each other. Not so much, both wanted more trade, both wanted humans out of Titan areas, and both wanted their economies to grow, most of all they both wanted more power. Qorni could with her programs in ten years get 40% of the new enfranchised humans, with Ridgemont maybe 65% to 70% that would give her 10 to 15 seats in Aspire and New Empire strongholds, and maybe another 10 or so in even more liberal areas where the vote was so badly splinted, she could get a 60 vote swing just from humans, Pryvani had learned that Qorni was careful vetting free-market, anti-tax, pro-military human candidates, not aligned with Loona's faction. Qorni had now found a wedge to splinter the South.
Pryvani knew the insectoid war was going well, she had smuggled more than a few 'friends' into the task force. She smirks at just how prepared and ruthless they are, however even with their war to the 'Knife' they have provided the Insectoids with plenty of opportunities to surrender. She wonders if they will take them up on it, 35 hours until the first asteroid hits, 168 until the last does, three hives of out five will soon be eliminated.
Finally, she answers Sorcha's email, yes she will send a shuttle for Alesia to get her to Diona, it worries Pryvani that Omi is there. She is a draw, she is remarkably charismatic and very intelligent but why isn't she with her fiance? Brinn has a sample of Kitsune's DNA, he is Victor's Child, and from Aezhay when not telling children tales of the Inner Sphere and worlds without titans (worlds she sometimes dreams of herself giggling) and how in two hundred years (35 Titan years) human, yes humans with mere Jumpships and drive settled more worlds then then all the powers in the Orion belt she's playing with them, even the huge titan children. Human and Titan children are in awe of her, and even the most bigotted Titan seems to listen and at least agrees to disagree with 'her'. It seems wrong to move her, but she is the one person that could start a war between Bulldog and Titans Pryvani thinks. Well in six human weeks Pryvani will invite her to meet the Emperor at a function she's sponsoring, a princess such as her must attend and then they will keep her out of the line of fire, her fiance and father of her child are in the line of fire enough for the both of them. Pryvani has just looked at the pirated battle ROMS, No one dead or injured, but the Insectoids are beginning to pull out all the stops.
Hive Prime final Redoubt
The Feld Grau of the 10th Lyran Guards blended eerily well with dark gray and black coloration of Hive Prime. Brevet-Kommandt Sanderlin in his Hunchback unloads 2nd Generation VX/mustard mix on a large contingent of soldiers and mantids. After 20 seconds over a hundred are twitching as they die. While Renny is looking for the next batch, Victor is using Prometheus's Left PPC to vaporize seven or eight Soldiers as Kommandt Cox's Devastator fires both of its PPCs to take down 20 or more. As the command lance of the Reverants Battalion draws in the vast majority of the bugs, 3rd Battalion with 5th Edasich Panzer Regiment working under Lieutenant General Jim Beerman pour fire into the tens of thousands of soldiers, Mantids, and workers.
Victor "all 10th Guards" as his cockpit get hit and chipped by a mantid, he takes it down with his right Large Pulse laser "Say again all 10th Guard, these guys are getting frisky, time for some air support" as a boulder thrown by a group of soldier hits his left arm, Galen and Renny join their firepower and drive the attack back as SGT Steiner-Smythe PPCs the lead group of the next wave.
Hauptman Gerald Cole "Your Highness 1st flight of the 35th Tharkan Attack Wing, inbound with two, say again two VX/Mustard daisies and two conventional daisies."
Victor nods "we'll keep them bottled you kill the SOBS, Roger?" Cole "Roger sire, reference four Thunderbirds inbound on bombing run"
As the bombing run begins 2nd Battalion with 78th Donegal Cavalry Regiment and 345th Donegal Mechanized Infantry with 974th F-C Battle Armor Battalion position themselves to cut of the retreat of the bugs. As of this moment, the combined formation is known as the 2nd BCT, or 2nd Battalion Combat Team.
As Cole's Flight drops their payloads (the Chemicals in the center the high-explosives in the middle front and middle rear) Reverent and 3rd Battalions with supporting conventional regiments of the 10th Lyran Guards open up driving the insectoids into a tighter group as the bombs go off precisely where they were aimed at. The high explosives from one fuel-air bomb are close enough to coat Renny and Galen's mechs in bug offale as the remaining mostly mindless creatures scurry spreading the nerve agent from those that have it to those that don't. Within two minutes over 90,000 of what was roughly 110,000 Insectoids are died or dying.
As Victor and his lance take potshots at the remainder the First Flight of the 35th Tharkan Attack Wing discharge a couple of generation three (experimental) chemical warheads from their LRM-20 launchers.
Galen "2nd BCT, 2nd BCT, you are hosing them guys, great placement, who put you all there, I thought you all should be a few klicks further north."
Victor Smiles "Go head Lieutenant General Yvgeniy Kotlyarenko",
Lieutenant General Kotlyarenko "I thought the same as you did Kommandt Cox, I was overridden by Archon-Prince Victor..." he says sheepishly.
Cox face palms and thinks I will never hear the end of this... Victor smiles "you both on the tactical, even operational viewpoint have a hell of a case to make for that placement, but the 2nd BCT would be so far out of position, that the roughly 10,000 bugs we have left would have escaped and likely another 20 to 30 thousand would have made it out of our trap."
Galen shakes his head "ok Vic," he says on the private line, Victor smiles triumphantly, "yes Galen",
Galen smirks and nods "let us mere mortals get a victory or two under our belt" Galen laughs, "but God it was a nice envelopment."
Victor smiles "my dad might have done better..."
Renny "WHEN would your dad have done better?" he says in shock,
Victor "well he, Focht, Cousin Morgan, and Theodore would have done something almost as well if not better."
Galen chuckles "two family members a soon to be in-law and some COMSTAR genius from God knows where and Victor acts like he's talking about your average Federated Commonwealth officers, all of them are geniuses and legends... I am DONE" he says with a smirk as he turns his Devastator that's coated in insectoid parts and blood, toward their dropship and starts walking Galen with a wistful smile "heading for the FCS Cincinnatus this fight is over..."
FCS Yggdrasil
FCS Cincinnatus docks, the 10th Lyran Guards had a bit of a fight, the Insectoids were getting desperate, their last defenses were held fiercely by all classes of insectoid. Hohiro on the DCS Shiro and Kai on the CSS Invisible Truth reported the same. Sorcha was a bit nervous, as she watches the Reverants Battalion dismount. Renny's mech is a bit hammered, Galen's doesn't have a spot on it that isn't covered in insectoid guts, Prometheus leaves, it's left arm just holding on, the cockpit a bit cracked. As she worries from her dropship office, the boys leave their cockpits and high five the others. Sorcha shakes her head, Eryn had told her while she was reading on diplomacy she discovered a quote from the English Ambassador regarding the American President Theodore Roosevelt but was applicable to all men. Sorcha states the quote as 'one must at all times remember he is a six-year-old boy', Sorcha smirks and agrees with Eryn's statement that this quote applies to all boys, even Archon-Princes, especially adorably cute Archon Princes...
As her thoughts begin to focus, she sees a number of medical techs, Pryvani had stated in her email that she was sending 'vaccination' teams through the task force. Sorcha wasn't sure, but Pryvani had strongly hinted she was sending human life-extension with the vaccinations, something like 'Darling we will ensure these humans are able to enjoy a disease-free life for decades', Pryvani doesn't use Terran timekeeping... She watches the 'tough' warriors wince in pain when they get their injections, Victor as much as anyone.
After rubbing the intramuscular injection site, Victor heads to debrief his liaison. When buzzes, Sorcha smiles, "come in Victor" her voice almost like honey, deep, thick, sweet, each day she seems to enjoy his company evermore. She is a bit angry with him, he's been on every combat drop the last couple of days. He says a prince should be leading his people, Sorcha agrees, but he doesn't have to be on all of them! He doesn't have to be on every high risk one, Renny and Galen take a pass from time to time. She's been watching his mother's lessons on his family dynamic, She has the beautiful same sandy blond hair as her son, same lovely gray-blue eyes, his ruddy complexion, and strong jaw come from his dad, but his patience, his patience is from Melissa...
Melissa Steiner-Davion, until her son assumed the throne co-ruler of the Federated Commonwealth. She has a grace and manner Sorcha would kill to have one quarter of. She frequently states to Victor that his father's and his last name doesn't mean Messiah. That lesson she thinks did not stick well. Victor Davion will be at the head and at the front of his troops to the most dangerous mission and when he's won, he will go to the next one and next one. He's getting slowly better, having Sorcha reinforce what his mother said has helped. He is such a good man, she worries about him, she wishes he could pull back a bit, he knows he's only an average mech pilot and above-average gunner, he should stay back where it is safe... She will try reason again, but he is a capable human and he can make his own choices.
Sorcha has been facing the Titan in her and working to diminish her over-protectiveness. She really hates his 'need' to be in combat, he takes no joy in killing if he did well he would at some level be like her, on more then a few occasions she actually enjoyed taking a Soldier Insectoid's life and after what Myrell had done to those poor humans, she felt a large feeling of grim satisfaction when she died. She did have guilt, guilt that she survived and so many didn't, even guilt about killing, but Sorcha admitted to herself that in the same situation she would do it over again and actually enjoy slaughtering the bugs and watching Victor take Myrell out... Did that make her a sick person, a warmonger (which she accused Victor of being), she guesses a bit of it is her Celtic heritage and some are her Titan need to protect being perverted again. That and she's a hypocrite for wanting to fight and defend while trying to put Victor into his nice, safe warm cage.
Sorcha winces at that, her mother told her to talk to that half of her, the Titan Sorcha is, in essence, a child, she understands the need to protect and like any five years old takes it too far. She is maturing and will learn discretion. It's always the same answer though, it hard to let those you care for exposing themselves to danger. She knows if she had Victor safe, she would worry (for him of course she grins), about Renny and Galen. If she was sufficiently large and powerful enough she would protect and smother the entire task force. The Sorcha's she's striving to be would be happy if Victor went on every third combat drop. As Victor enters she has a plate ready for him. Naskia does love her 'steak' as does Niall and of course, they passed it down to Sorcha. In their rations, she got a couple of 'ribeye' equivalents. Being her mass each weighs about 20 tons, the portion she attempted to save for Victor is scarpings for her but is enough to feed him for a week. Plus the storage root, a broccoli-like vegetable, and some salad.
Victor digs in as Sorcha rubs his back with her pinkie, as good as it feels to Victor, it feels great to Sorcha. She smiles at him as he details the fight and how Renny, Galen and the others had his back. Sorcha just nods and knows even if he is an average pilot and an above-average gunner he likely handled himself well. He isn't going against Kai, she shivers a bit, Kai is the most dangerous of the three princes in a mech. Victor is the most dangerous outside a mech, and if she could fully convince him of that maybe he will stay with her, ah, stay with the command team on the FCS Yggdrasil.
Victor finishes what he can, "thank you Sorcha that was very good",
Sorcha nods "I tried to trim from the best areas, I have to be careful," she says with a mischievous grin "I give you a full slice and you'll need the katana Theodore gave you to slice it since it would be feet thick."
Victor smirks as he turns and hugs her pinkie "we are quite tiny us humans, especially me." Sorcha nods trying to hold back the tears "how precious and beautiful" she mumbles as she uses her ring finger to gently muse his hair and caresses his back. Victor disengages and plays dodges her hand, it's as close as they get to Tupp and Shaar, she careful gets him between her two hands.
Sorcha "I have you, Prince!",
Victor gives up, he's exhausted, he just wanted to see her smile "I am done",
Sorcha "no fair you barely tried..."
Victor "I been fighting 30 hours straight, plus another 8 prep and planning, I just wanted to enjoy dinner, brief you, see if I could make you smile and then hit the rack for four hours."
Sorcha "that's just a full day for me, you act like your on a 24-hour cycle..." she giggles, Victor gives her a death stare and then breaks into a laugh.
Sorcha leans over to expose the top of her breasts, "so would you like to sleep here? save time, and of all of the beds available" she playfully caresses 'the girls' "these are quite warm and inviting", Victor gulps, Sorcha giggles, he's such a prude, it's adorable, Victor wants love not just fun and to Sorcha that is oh so sexy "well if you would have expanded the hallways I could walk you to your bed" she chuckles,
Victor "you are acting as if that wouldn't a major rebuild" he chuckles as well "let me rest here for a couple of minutes, I missed you."
Sorcha "aaawww",
Victor "so how was your day or half-day by your count"
she places her right palm beside him, he gets on, she closes her hands gently around him and brings him to her chest by her heart "well it was restful, except a good friend of mine keeps volunteering for nearly suicidal combat missions",
Victor half smirks "the guy must be an idiot" as he strokes her palm "not wanting to be comfortable near you".
Sorcha grins "Yeap, one really small idiot" as she counts to five and kisses his head and then pulls back, definitely a kiss a friend would give a friend she thinks "but he is cute, kind, and loves those he serves".
Victor lightly chuckling "so not a complete loser, that's good",
Sorcha continues to caress him gently "No not a loser at all",
Victor fades "well, that's good" yawning,
Sorcha nods "yes it is, Victor "well, night" as his exhaustion and Sorcha's ministrations put him to sleep.
Sorcha beams at him "night my sweet prince" as she places her hand like a blanket over him and sets him on her left breast where her heart is "you'll never know how special and precious you are to me" as she settles in for her own nights sleep "you'll never know..." as both sleep as peacefully as they ever have.
Diona six weeks after Misjump
Omi "ok, ok, little ones, I will tell you of Aleksandr Kerensky his noble and honorable attempt to save the Star League, and it's fall",
Aezhey and Thurfrit listen to the fall of Omi's universe's greatest experiment in government. Neither the Titaness or her husband could understand the vast waste and profligate killing that followed in the 1st Succession War. They were fighting over a dead throne, every great house mocked what the League had stood for, Davion and Steiner less than most, but still... what became all too clear is that when wars are unplanned they take on a life of their own. The Human first world war was like that, as was the 1st Succession War.
Titan young learned with human young as their parents protested. They all loved Omi, they notice her belly steadily getting larger. The toddlers of both sets of humanoids ask to touch the belly. Omi smiles, and allows the humans to do so with minimal supervision, the Titans had either Gae or Aezhey watch and 'help'.
Aezhey was getting worried about the number of Black Block protestors, they were keeping to themselves, but they were getting reinforced and likely they didn't care if they caused a massacre as long as they killed some humans or human loving titans. They had four weeks before Pryvani shoe-horned Omi to represent the Innersphere at an event with the emperor. The Block seemed intent on not allowing that time to pass without issues.
The good news was that Hive prime, Furtherest Hive, and Remote Hive had been destroyed, even now Hives 2274 and 7322 where being encircled and being made ready for orbital bombardment, three weeks from now all major insectoid worlds would be demolished, about another Terran month later the mopping up would be concluded.
Unfortunately, imperial troops weren't moving with such alacrity, the Federation still lingered on. Diona was reasonably safe and most of the pro-secessionist forces were tied up trying to guess where the imperial fleet and army would hit, Aezhay and Thurfrit were just hoping it would be started before a Titan year had passed.
FCS Yggdrasil 43 days after misjump
Victor is taking questions from Earth and titan press agencies, Sorcha is in hologram from behind and slightly to the left of Victor. Damn free market, Classic Liberal Royalist, she smirks to herself, she's young and her parents worked for the government, even as screwed up as they are with the human question she still trusts them a bit more then corporations, sorry Pryvani, though if all CEOs operated like her...
Victor "we have eliminated see the chart to my left", as he points to slide 47 destroyed Insectoid facilities.
Sorcha smiles simple provable facts, that's Victor, no grand statement, no promise of a radiant future, war is horrible, things die and we must be better prepared for the next time, and be better people as well. It frightens her how much she has fallen for him, not even 3 inches to her proportionally but she feels he could fill her heart beyond full with joy. He gives her a quick smile, damn him, it's so cute. No, he's a damn Empire party member (actually he quietly supports the Constitutional Federalists in the Federated Suns state command and the Constitutional Royalists in Lyran State command, both free-market, low tax, moderate local sovereignty parties),"Field Marshall Davion, Field Marshall Davion!!!", Acook Smidg 305 Titan News "what's your view of the genocide you are committing",
Sorcha drops her shoulders, somewhere the press decided once the bugs were getting squashed that they would condemn Victor and his forces for winning a war they could not.
Victor just takes the question "Mr. Smidg, we stated that this is a war to the Knife! No quarter asked for, none granted! We have made exceptions to that, no soldiers yet, but the Insectoid government has contacted us and we continue to get, give us the earth and we will stop. Asking for something while getting crushed in a war is odd, but the two remaining main hives think they can continue to fight, all I can say if they wish to surrender we have broadcasted what we need, they still don't respond to those demands. Next?" "Lisa Shepard-Colins Fox News," said the bubbly blonde "Field Marshal Davion, do you feel that you have been too restrained in taking the fight to the insectoids, also what about the oppressors to include your own liaison behind you?"
Sorcha shoots her a death glare,
Victor knows it's coming and blocks it with a facing motion "Ms. Shepard-Colins, no state of war at current stands between the nations of task force Bulldog and the Titan Empire. As for us not going hard enough, Ms. Shepard-Colins, you see the news people here, there all dang near communists!" Victor laughs, the entire press room does as well, "well that's my last answer for the day, let's do this again soon!"As Victor leaves the press room, Sorcha prepares her hand for him, she smirks "it's almost like you can nearly tolerate them."
Victor smirks "I am only baiting them in my dear, then all of my troops will coat them with crowd control foam." as he climbs on her hand.
Sorcha huge face twists in a smile and she shakes her hand hard enough to knock him a bit off-balance,
Victor chuckles "SORCHA!", Sorcha sticks out her tongue "what my prince!" Victor turns a bit serious "over these last weeks I never knew we would work so well together, if we get back to the FedCom you want to come with us, I am sure Galen or Renny well...",
Sorcha giggles "You have enough to handle with Omi and Kitsune, just a few more months and you will have two new titles, Father and Husband..."
Victor gets misty "yes, both a DAMN bit more important then Archon-Prince",
Sorcha's pinky scuffs his hair "let us go get some dinner",
Galen enters, "Boss Omi is on line one",
Sorcha smiles and kisses the top of his head, Jana and I will get dinner ready, we'll stop Renny and Galen from eating too much",
Galen "hey compared to you two..."
Jana "don't even if you still want pre-flight my engines from time to time." Sorcha's Titan pilot says roughly but playfully, Sorcha smirks pre-flight...Victor turns on his hologram "Omi!",
Omi smiles slightly and with all the love she has "Victor, Kitsune, Aezhay, Thurit, Gae and the protesters say hello!"
Victor "including the black block, they look rough Omi, be careful, I can send a regiment in a week or so, not even sure the Emperor or Forna would allow me to."
Omi "Victor my love you do many things you weren't allowed to, you captured the heart of your ancestorial foe's daughter, you have defended the lives and freedoms of billions, you allow all who are under your protection to thrive."
Victor nods "so hows Kitsune?"
Omi "he looks forward to the day you will welcome him to your world and train him to be a Great Christian Prince bringing peace to all."
Victor crying in Joy "I love you Omi",
Omi "I have loved you, Victor, since our souls were created" crying in joy as well.
Sorcha enters, "oppps, sorry you two, I hadn't heard anything for a minute or so",
Omi giggles "it's ok Sorcha, isn't it Victor",
Victor tries to dry his tears before Sorcha sees, Sorcha would normally mock him a bit for that (she is a Tom Boy and her father's daughter), but the love these two feel for the other, she's has nothing negative to say,
"well, we will keep dinner warm" as she moves to leave (dang ceiling is 50 feet to low she chuckles to herself),
Victor "thank you, Sorcha", Sorcha nods "I am famished, glad a couple of scraps are enough for you guys, so tiny, but so cute!!!"Victor and Omi go over everything, Omi is shocked at how much 'press' resistance to Victor's method of winning the war,
Victor "they look at me like I am nuts Omi, nuts" Omi giggles, Victor "when I said no quarter asked for or given, the idiots likely thought I was talking about American change denominations!!!!",
Omi "Victor my love, you should save some of these stories for Kitsune",
Victor "really?",
Omi smiles deviously "that way he can get used to his father's voice while not being bored of the content",
Victor "why you, I am attacking you when you get back",
Omi acts shocked "Why Victor my love when I attacked you this" she points to her womb "occurred",
Victor nods "so we'll have a large family",
Omi smiles gently her holographic arm stroking his face "if that is what God and fate desire Hai Victor!!!"
Aezhay "hey Prince boy, let her get her sleep, I had three gorom children it ain't easy", Omi looks back at her and sticks her tongue out at her,
Aezhay smirks "Princess it isn't wise to play with a being over 28 times your height" as she sticks her tongue out as well, "now both of you off the hologram, Sorcha needs to feed your cute little prince and you, your baby prince and the rest of us need to get some sleep."
Omi "I will call you again soon, Pryvani is demanding I attend a ceremony in Tuaut next month with the Emperor. Gae and Aezhay tell me I have to go."
Victor nods "it is their Emperor and your the only Princess not in a live combats zone, well you are but it's not, oh your in danger just not in active combat",
Omi shakes her head and chuckles "It will be alright my love, you are a worrier, it is a good trait but do not overdo it!"
Victor nods and smirks "I will call you once the last two hives are dealt with, then Doctors Banzai and the Freemans might be able to get us home."
Omi "HAI, that would be well, Kitsune and I will get some rest before Aezhay dose us with sleep aid."
Aezhay in the background laughing "and don't think I won't." The lines clicks off as Victor heads to get dinner.
Hives 2274 and 7322 44 days after misjump
Both task forces have asked for their surrender, the bugs still demand earth as a starting point. Asteroids are slowly put into place as the hours' tick down. it seems it will be no retreat no surrender.
just outside of sensor range a small Insectoid shuttle flees system 2274, a brief reading of three soldiers and a large egg-layer, only one egg seems to fertilized, pointless to chase down five bugs. The pickets let it through...
Diona seven weeks after misjump
They were getting closer, becoming more violent, they had wounded a titan and 20 humans. Thank the powers the Titan was there or the 20 would have been dead. Omi had the dream again, she stood in defiance of their overwhelming power, her and Kitsune held the line, buying time for most of the humans to evacuate, she herself had saved some, it didn't matter how many, it wasn't enough hundreds still died before the Titans on their side could get there, she was stomped and spat on as was her son. She sees Her mate in Rage and Grief demand an audience with the Emperor, during which he declares war, she sees the Inner sphere Warmachine gear up and with one voice rally to do what the Archon-Prince orders it, the battle cry they shout hurts her soul deeply "For Omi Kurita-Davion, For Kitsune Kurita-Davion, for the four hundred" as Titan ships, units and worlds are incapacitated, the cold vengeance of Victor has not yet killed anyone on either side" She awakes in a cold sweat, tears flowing "oh Victor please don't do this, please never take vengeance on innocents, don't use my sacrifice to justify it, please, please GOD send him someone to vouchsafe his conscience" as she rocks and gently strokes her womb, "Please my son pray for your father..."
Holosuites-New York and Tauat
Forna and Elaine were enjoying the cooldown, god they loved these holograms, each was supposed to be a nationalist upholding the traditional values of their worlds. What they had become was lovers, the attraction to power and how each wielded, so much alike, yet different enough to be 'exciting'. When the feeling first overtook them they were negotiating a trade deal. Each got heated, Forna said something about wanting to crush Elaine, Elaine saying she wish she would and in seconds their holograms were all over the other. As they understood more and more about the other they grew more and more in love and lust for the other. Both Conservative and honestly hard asses, something clicked, Forna's two husbands couldn't please her like Elaine, and Elaine thoroughly enjoyed her experimentation with Forna as they pondered their love life and their political alliance both were quite happy. Their friend's political party would be in power for at least another 20 titan years, for Forna up to 60 if she can pull Loona and her Aspire caucus in.Forna "so my dear what do you think of me pulling Loona in",
Elaine smiles as she kisses her hands "very good, your conservatives should have an outright majority after next election, if she wants to keep any power she needs to cut a deal and with what your offering, Human citizenship in two years after hostilities end, she'll bite, and bite hard",
Forna "bite, a fishing term?",
Elaine nods "as in taking the bait, imbedding the hook into the fish's mouth"
Forna "ah, so she brings in Aspire I make her floor leader in three months and my party has the majority for maybe sixty years!" Both look on their screens as some Federate Boeing techs from the FEDCOM start to assemble Earth's first two real shipyards.Elaine, "you have any issues with that construction Forna?"
Forna just giggles "no, and for puny humans, they are putting it up with great alacrity"
Elaine "we do accomplish things quickly",
Forna places her simulated head on her shoulder "you sure do... So the bugs will be done in two weeks, we'll pass human sufferage soon after, you will take roughly a third of the newly minted citizens",
Elaine "sure, we'll take half if you need",
Forna "about a year ago I would have said sure, but your species is quite talented. If we keep the best and they vote conservative we can swing up to 60 seats."
Eliane nods "unfortunately the ones we'll get will go socialist or communist the moment they get here, but they are our children and we must step up and help our allies"
Forna nods "yeap four weeks before we 'negotiate' it, two weeks more and it will be negotiated then we'll have a stable empire, Your Earth Republic will develop all the Super-Mus around and the tech windfall from Bulldog will keep everyone but particularly the Freemans busy for nearly one of your centuries. Good time to be alive and a good time for our parties."
Elaine nods "thankfully we had Aertimus and the rest during first contact."
Forna smirks "I wasn't all that convinced at that time, but with your peoples drive and our detail focus the Orion spur is just the beginning, Bulldog ends the war, we put everyone on a glide path to equality under the law a whole new era of expansion is just waiting for us."
Elaine "sounds great, when do you all start absorbing us into your empire," she says with a deadpan smirk,
Forna shakes her head "It won't be our empire, it will be yours, your population with life extension and super mus, Titans might be at top of the size chart but you will outnumber us in 120 years, yes Terran years, but as long as we shape the culture and ensure conservatives win it won't matter much if it's a human empire or titan, it will still be our Empire. Elaine takes her hologram hand and nods.
Tayas Mons, Avalon 50 days since misjump
Pryvani "So what do we have on Taskforce Bulldog?",
Zara "lots of movement from Earth-based pharmaceuticals to their ships, it's odd lots of older medicines like Ether and Enflurane. I would ask Sorcha to inquire about their better pain medicines, maybe they are more accustom to the older meds, or there more reliable???"
Taron "also there are little blips in our shuttles warping in and out, they seem to also be realigning their Germanium cores in line with the Freeman's theories."
Darren cuts through the crud "What your Titan advisors are telling you Provolina is that they are preparing for war against the Empire."
Pryvani considers it, and half nods "Titan tolerance for Ether, Enflurane and a number of other sedatives/muscle relaxers is much lower than human, or precursor. If they could saturate an atmosphere with sufficient quantities the planet would fall without a shot. a much kinder version of what Dr. Banzai is doing to the insectoids."
Lysis nods "their third generation chemical weapons are able to kill all but the largest insectoids with their smallest basic ammunition. I don't know if they can handle our warp fields yet, but if they can, well we might want to surrender before they get any momentum going."
Pryvani knows there are three basic groups amongst Bulldog, there is Victor's Federated Commonwealth, with St. Ives Compact along with the majority of Comstar divisions and Free World league units, they would hew to the Ares accords, hell they would go well above and beyond those accords to avoid harming innocents, the second is the Combine, they would do what Victor and Focht told them, but there would be no guarantee that they would go beyond the Ares Convention accords, and then there were the unknown factors, the Capallens, and mercs, Pryvani guesses they would hold to the minimum of Ares, but Soldiers from a totalitarian regime with soldiers who only fought for pay, that was the question mark.
"Pro'tellia," Darren says "that Banzai fellow and his NAIS comrades well there just the cat's meow, err Shaar's pur, whatever as far at finding weak points. That said just how sure are we that someone like Victor will go to war?"
Pryvani shrugs "from what I have seen of him he doesn't back down from a fight, he puts himself at great risk for his soldiers and people, if he thinks we have been playing games too long he will follow the conventions of diplomacy and declare war, he will not sneak attack us, but he will find a way to achieve surprise, even in his losses at Trell one and Aylinia he managed to bite the Falcons pretty hard."
Taron "so what should we do?"
Pryvani "all the things he would go to war for are justified, but even though we have screwed things up to the point he feels the need, I can't just let him roll through us. There is a point where patience becomes acceptance, have we reached it yet? Would we have Titans enslaved instead of humans? I know a number would see that as justice... However, can one wrong fix another? Regardless if we defend we must make sure that those of Bulldog are treated with honor and if we have victories or are victorious that they move humans toward emancipation."
Darren "Proentilla, that's a bit hard, isn't it? It seems you are more interested in protecting your kind."
The entire complex falls silent Thyllia begins "Darren, how dare..."
Pryvani cuts off her half-sister "Thyllia he has a point, we've been behind the scenes helpful, but what forces did we commit, at first contact I attempted to veto human participation, regardless of my intentions I am a Titan and humanity is still not free, why shouldn't they ask that we stand aside or help Bulldog in freeing their kin?"
Thyllia "it's not the same we, we" she looks at Ryan his face still healing and hugs him "are we that selfish..." as she kisses him.
Pryvani "it is the first time I am rightly terrified of humans, my skin craws as I seen their mechs and fighters deal with the insectoids in a walkover, I fear what happens if it's turned on us... That justice may be enforced by the gun of an invader... I hate to admit it, but if we don't fight will we be enslaved as we did to humans? I hold nothing against Victor, Hohiro, Kai but I can finally feel the terror humans have when we keep holding our protection over their heads."
Nick "we have to defend our homes of course, and let the Emperor know what we know."
Darren "do we?" again stunned looks "I mean all of the Titans here are good and decent and have done what you can, but what about the 80% who just ignored our plight? What about the 10% who enjoyed it and attempted to make it worse!!! then we save their bacon at Tau Ceti Loona, Aertimus, Naskia, everyone complains why didn't we let them know, hell because it would leak and those who wished to oppress us would have worked on countermeasures."
Pryvani tears up "it's not fair, and you keep being asked to hold out just a little longer, we'll make it fair, then something else delays it, something else is more important. Darren, Lysis, any other human, or group of humans if war comes and you wish to side with Bulldog all Titans are who serve me are now under orders to surrender to you, we won't fight you, just treat us as you wish to be treated. I have to defend my home, it's not about defending the system, but it can be seen as such, so if you wish to take out one of the key logistical sites just come to my room and I will surrender myself all my staff."
Zara "Pryvani, you can't we've done nothing wrong!"
Pryvani "we have benefited from a system that enslaves them, if the choices are honorable surrender or fighting to the death even tangentially defending that system I would rather surrender."
Brinn "so you are giving the humans veto over passing this information to the military?"
Pryvani nods "Darren can you and the Avalon council discuss it and get back with your decision, no information will flow until you have said so."
Darren "we'll get back to you in a day or so"
As the meeting breaks up, Thyllia is clearly tormented "oh Ryan I am sorry I really want to see it from your perspective, but...."
Ryan "it's ok, just remember I love you...",
Thyllia "but we're talking about your freedom and all I can see..."
Ryan "it's not your fault, don't worry about it until it happens."
Rixie "boss you want me to backchannel the information",
Pryvani gives her a dirty look "NO! just because Darren went behind us and for good reason you..."
Rixie "I understand, and his reasons were valid, but if the imperial military doesn't know what Bulldog is up to...."
Pryvani "they be caught as unawares as Earth would have been if Solis had his way..."
Rixie "it's not the same, we are trying, we just need a little more time isn't that right Alex."
Alex gives her a looks she hasn't seen since he faced down Trell, Rixie "Alex?", Alex "I know you all mean well, that you are trying, but 90% aren't should we take arms against our liberators? If they mean to enslave Titans you know all the humans here would fight them, how about for ONCE you wait and ENDURE! You get told just a little while MORE"
Pryvani "you see Rixie, we can't betray them anymore, the time has long since past when we can ask them to be patience when Darren deliberately confronted me I knew it had gone on for far too long. He was the one suggest to Eryn we use the insectoid threat to buy time with Earth. We're losing them, the humans we have fought for we are losing them because nothing happens to us when things go wrong." Pryvani cries "they are thrown into the garbage, placed into cages, tormented, what happens to us NOT A DAMN THING! Maybe, maybe losing a war and having fear finally reach us will finally change us."
Rixie to Alex and Pryvani frustrated and sad "but it isn't our fault...",
Alex strokes her thumb "no it isn't, but is it mine to want to be free? To be free by any means?"
Rixie begins to tear up "no, no it's not, I love you Alex, but I am afraid",
Alex "you've protected me I will protect you..."
Rixie hugs and kisses him "I trust you",
Thyllia "so we wait",
Pryvani "yes, I doubt Banzai, Victor, Hohiro or Kai will wait long, let us just hope the worst doesn't' occur..."
Ryan "the worst?",
Pryvani "Omi and her son gets killed by a Titan...",
Rixie "three more weeks till the event and Alesia is already there what more can we do?"
Pryvani "too much attention she becomes an even larger target, we are just going to have to wait it out and hope the block doesn't get too frisky, once she is off Donia we can keep her safe."
Author's Notes:
Nothing will be quite the same after this chapter...
Chapter Eleven the straw that broke the camel's back...
"it's sheer chaos, pandemonium here on Diona, Omiko Kurita, well she's dead, from the video she looks like she died saving four children and defying the counter-protestors. There's no way they could have missed her, she's been here for over a week, she was wearing one of her Kimonos, even for a human they couldn't have missed it, Steiner Blue, Davion Yellow, and Kuritan Red. She wasn't only killed but they are stilling stomping and spitting where her crushed body is..."Titan 356 News
Sobbing "my love wait for me, forgive my actions and perhaps we'll meet in paradise"-Archon-Prince Victor Steiner-Davion upon viewing the death of his beloved fiance Omiko Kurita and their unborn son Kitsune John Kurita-Davion.
Walak, Federation Province-51 Days from Misjump
Poron Cesil was not a happy man, the Insectoids, well there were smashed, smashed by humans, precursors, whatever. A species not even the size of his finger, they crushed his allies as if they weren't there. The only plus is how quickly and ruthlessly they achieved it. Titans were scared they were coming for them. They may, but Cesil had to make sure they did, the only way his New 'Empire' would survive is if the imperial troops coming to invade had another 'dancing partner'. He contacted his protesters and let them know that the annoying Omi Kurita was a fair target, she looked pregnant likely with that scum Victor's child. If she and his spawn were to die, it is highly likely he would declare war on the empire. That may just give them enough time to regroup and re-establish themselves. Cesil never thought that his worlds might be on Victor's hit list as well. Being farsighted was never one of his strengths...
Diona 8 weeks (56 days) from mis-jump
Aezhay, "Omi we might want to pull back",
Omi continues her education of the children on the inner Sphere "why they aren't any closer than yesterday",
Aezhay "Omi they are, I have a rangefinder, they are nearly a unit closer."
Omi "I don't see you telling Thurfrit to pull back", Aezhay smirks "that's because he's on my hand right now",
Thurfrit nods "Omi just climb up on Aezhay's hand, pull back a couple of units, you aren't exactly hard to see with your continued use of Steiner Blue, Kuritan Red and Davion Yellow, they've been coming at you with a vengeance, they've even tried to spit on you."
Omi "I am as safe as anyone else."
Aezhay unleashes her heavy hitter Alesia "Omi why are you being so stubborn?",
Omi "I am not, I am educating Titans and humans on my universe",
Alesia "which you can do ten or a hundred units further away from the block. Sorcha will kill me if you get hurt."
Omi "it's not up to Sorcha, Gae, Aezhay or any Titan or hybrid to tell me what is safe and what is not."
Alesia takes her hand and gently lifts her "you are lucky you and Victor had life extension injected after you conceived, you won't be dealing with the child for two years, instead of just nine months."
Omi smirks "that's all well and good for Kitsune, what about future children?"
Alesia as she slowly drags Omi to Aezhay's waiting hand "well you have two years of feeling a new life growing inside of you, evidentially the first time it's nearly enough to drive my mother nearly insane, me it's early yet, insanity may be a factor" Alesia says with a smile.
Alesia sets the now assuredly pregnant Omi on Aezhay's hand,
Aezhay smirks "yeah and hybrids aren't easy either, right husband of mine" as she just a touch rougher than normal muses his hair.
Thurfrit chuckles "you wanted children as well Aezhay my love",
Aezhay gently gets him to her lips and kisses him "yes I did, I just didn't know what that human DNA would do to my Titan physiology, but if you want another..."
Thurfrit shakes his head "having three children who dwarf you before they even start growing, well that's enough".
Aezhay shakes her head "Tupp and Shaar it worked for the Freemans" she giggles.
Thurfrit looks at her in awe and terror, Naskia is small compared to his wife, Niall is strong and determined, but he could tell the change in Niall, he and his wife were equals, but her physical dominance had been acknowledged, on the plus side Niall was getting lots of marital sex! on the minus side the bedroom was no longer a place of equals, yes their love was equal, but the partners, well they did what Naskia wanted. She, of course, made sure Niall was happy, and she was MUCH happier since they acknowledged the fact. Thurfrit didn't want to do that, once Aezhay goes down that path even if sex is awesome he losses control in his bedroom.
Aezhay looks down in love on her tiny husband, that Niall and Naskia got there is a good thing she thinks. You can only deny a thing that is obvious for so long, Thurfrit is smarter, he can organize better, so at the foundation, he's the boss. Aezhay is even taller then Sorcha, maybe she should set the 'tone' for the bedroom, he will like it and she will love it. Not that he does a bad job, but talking with Naskia... well there are so many other things he can do to her, and she can do to him...
She speaks to her husband in a low sensual tone "when this is over my Tupp! your Shaar is going to play with you. As you are the boss at the foundation, well we'll see what happens won't we" she says with a confident smile.
Omi just smiles at 'human' relationships "Thurfrit" Omi states "so are you willing to acknowledge reality in the bedroom if I do it here?"
Aezhay grins and nods, Gae chuckles, Alesia giggles madly.
Thurfrit "ah, um, ah",
Aezhay clears her right hand, and gently shakes him till his back is resting on her palms, she breathes heavily, sensually "so Thurfrit I suggest you ready yourself, it might even be tonight"
Aezhay's eyes gleam, Thurfrit tries to figure out how getting Omi away from danger morphed into giving Aezhay control of his bedroom and likely a fourth child... Only explanation Omi Kurita is a witch, a good witch, but a witch all the same. As to confirm it he hears her chuckling off to the side with all the women...
Diona 57 days since misjump
No one in the main party got much sleep last night. Aezhay decided she and Thurfrit needed to play and then acknowledge reality. Reality had Aezhay crushing her bed like it was a twig, and finding out a new baby girl would make her appearance in two Terran years. Thurfrit was sleeping, utterly exhausted by the loving but a touch rougher than normal play. Aezhay, well she was very satisfied as she gently caressed her sleeping MAN! She would have to thank Naskia for sharing, it is so hard to keep things balanced, so many Titans are trying to keep everything balanced. Naskia came to the conclusion that as long as both partners were thoroughly enjoying the other, well considering she is 119 feet taller than Niall may be in that one respect she should have a greater say. Niall hasn't been happier or more productive, feels the need to keep the balance so Niall's human creativity and learning seem to spike to keep the balance in their relationship. Naskia thinks it was the most awesome thing yet. Aezhay agrees with her scientist friend, maybe Zhan, Nick, and Alex could be convinced...
Omi enjoys her little revolt, it was so easy to not say what didn't need to be said and say just enough. Aezhay is a dominating woman, a good and gentle person, yes, but having a name like 'tall as trees' means she towers over even most Titans. They were making the same mistakes as Victor was when he spoke of purity and harmony. Victor believed that purity meant chastity, even virginity, her love had to be educated, such purity was that those who share in love would maintain discretion and share such pleasures only with the other. The Titans she has been around in mixed relationships, seem to have a similar misunderstanding, for them purity is about equality. She shakes her head no, a Tiger could no more be the equal of a rabbit in carnal pursuits, it doesn't mean the Tiger and the Rabbit cannot enjoy what the other brings, however. The Tiger can pursue, trap and play, all making the rabbit's evasion, dodging and the last stand so much better. While Rabbit brings out the primal urges of the Tiger, tests its abilities and when the hunt is done allow it to honor its prey.
The female Titans are tigers they have to hunt, dominate and honor the prey of their much smaller human mates. Sometimes you have to yield to nature, and acknowledge that the Tiger is going to be the one stalking the rabbit for it's 'food', it doesn't mean that in diverting the Tiger the Rabbit is incapable of enjoying itself. One does not consider themselves equal to a typhoon one makes arrangements so as not to be blown away by one. Aezhay is a living, thinking storm, she has to cap her power so many times each day, to have one place where she can safely let go and Thurfrit can enjoy it would make the already satisfied woman, much happier. Plus it distracts them from what Omi wants to do as she sneaks back to the children she is instructing.
As Omi instructs Titans and Humans of her homeland, less pure eyes gaze upon her with malicious intent. Scylane Rimosi was coordinating the counter-protest, if he had even a bit of an open mind he would have backed off Cesil's orders. The woman was brave, charismatic, smart, that she wasn't a Titan really shouldn't matter, but she wasn't a Titan, and she was an interloper. He felt a bit bad for what he was organizing, but orders were orders, the Insectoids had been crushed.
Federation secession was bound to fail if nothing changed and from his few contacts in Tuaut Forna was confident enough of her 'conversion' job on the humans of the Empire that she would bring up an amended Zeramblin Act. Odds were good that they could get a super-majority, and dragged kicking and screaming into the Conservative coalition Aspire and at least half of New Empire. Loona maybe granted floor leader after the next elections but she would be in that position because Forna had chosen her and conservative voters had elected her. Forna would have co-opted her most dangerous foes and set human equality on an easily achievable glide path her party would be in power for 60 years at least and she would have statues of her being the liberator, the bringer of prosperity. The South would have to significantly restructure to even compete.
Scylane couldn't let that happen, a cute little pet had to die, and in a moment of remorse an innocent child. Even though Omi was a pet, the pup she was carrying was guiltless, it was almost enough to stay his hand, but so much more was at stake and the Block was not averse to shedding blood. The die was cast, the pet loved teaching about her universe, she did it always in the same area, all that was required would be a rush of protestors and a quick stomping and it would be over... That the war he would start would likely not go as he planned, well he had orders to obey and circumstances that forced his hand.
Tuaut, Deputy Floor leader Loona Armac's office Imperial House of Representatives 60 days from mis-jump
Loona "Pryvani you have to give me more, we all can guess Bulldog is prepping for war with us, but how It does us no good to have a general alert, hell we've been on general alert since they arrived in our universe"
Pryvani glumly "I am actually going against my promise to Darren and the Avalonians going this far..."
Loona "well Darren did go behind our back",
Pryvani "and he wasn't justified?",
Loona "I am not saying that but we can't be only for humans we have to establish things and we are close",
Pryvani "you are ok with Forna getting credit for what others have done?"
Loona huffs "if it works, yes I got outflank and outmaneuvered, but the end goal is what we want",
Pryvani "so you are going to drag Niall and Darren before a committee or court..."
Loona "we have to, but no one wants to see them punished beyond a certain level",
Pryvani "so this is their fault that they defend themselves..."
Loona "come on now, that's not what it's about, it's politics they fall on their swords little will happen, they don't not much more, but it will be more",
Pryvani "so you are going to punish beings that aren't considered class one sapients for being smarter than us?"
Loona "COME ON, it's not about that, it's not about...",
Pryvani "them not trusting us, can you blame them?"
Loona "I know, you are going to ask what I have lost, what I have sacrificed" Loona sadly smiles and tears up "I have been far more successful then I could have ever dreamed, I have profited from their plight, I just want my pound of flesh from them not trusting me, I will protect them after that",
Pryvani "is that fair?",
Loona "NO it's damn unfair of me, but what would you have me do, I can't shrink myself, I can't make myself human, I have political realities here, Forna is ok with me grilling them, giving them a bit of hell and then letting go, Niall will be able to stay at Tannerhauser, Darren well he'll have to give up his position, but there is always Tol-Bot for him..." Loona says with a slight smile,
Pryvani "will you even try to stay being friends with them?"
Loona's eyes flare "that's not fair, all they had to do is say we are working on a project and I could have buried it",
Pryvani looks at her and shakes her head "So they hurt you personally",
Loona "you BET they DID"
Pryvani "so you would rather them be unprepared...",
Loona "I NEVER said that!",
Pryvani "so you would lose the friendship of two people who have helped you more than you ever helped them, who have sacrificed more on your behalf then you have for them"
Loona breaks down into tears "I get it, I GET IT, I will never be owned, sold or considered a pet, I will always have the laws protecting me, but why couldn't they just trust ME!"
Pryvani "the same question I ask you when I tell you I have told you everything I can",
Loona nods "you know I would have forgiven them, I will do what I can do leave them be, the conservatives may force me to dig into them, but I have seen a master at committee hearings I will defend them without appearing to, though I would have likely got there eventually without this conservation",
Pryvani smiles sadly "but you would have taken chunks out of them before and only when you saw how deeply you hurt them..."
Loona smirks "for all the pain we've inflicted it is very petty of me to place my embarrassment ahead of their friendship, you know I will have to deal with Smit, he's going to have to go hard after them, he's going to call me an idiot for defending them regardless of how I do it",
Pryvani "I will deal with him, just try to get our defenses up a bit and make sure our troops treat theirs as honorable combatants"
Loona "I can do that, thank you Pryvani",
Pryvani "for what darling", Loona "for reminding me why we are here and whom we should serve"
Floor leader's office 15 minutes later
Forna "she didn't give you anything definitive?"
Loona "just some purchases and trades from earth worried her",
Forna "we can't lean on Earth to provide us the information?" Forna knew she could get Elaine to give her the data, but it would at best a large favor, both are free-market pols to extract private companies sells records for legal sales...
Loona chuckles "there is no leverage, they have leverage over us while Bulldog is still around in Orion"
Forna shrugs "so if war does develop I doubt you want us to exterminate their soldiers like pests"
Loona "that would likely be counterproductive"
Forna "I doubt they could be sold as pets either",
Loona smirks at that "unless you want a trained soldier who's only known freedom to be placed in a household where likely any Titan would have no clue of just what danger they have bought and what they will do to regain their freedom."
Forna "as you have seen the Zeramblin Act is on the calendar, and no I can't rush it any faster. However if all goes well Bulldog will of finished off our Insectoid problem, our military will reclaim the Federation and we'll have an overwhelming vote in support of the amended act" Loona nods Forna has her ducks in a row, in just over three Terran months each would be finished, with the Zeramblin Act Bulldog will no longer be a threat and all those techs and applications can be sorted.
Titan tech will jump a century, Terran will jump three, Sphere a century as well. With all the new products and services there will be a boom unlike any and Forna will have statues raised to her as a liberator, an usher of prosperity, all but a goddess. Loona was ok with it all her goals were there.
Loona "so what do you want from me?",
Forna "I want you to be floor leader",
Loona "not with the way you have things stacked against my coalition",
Forna "who says Aspire has to stay with the South?"
Loona looks dumbfounded "I can't sell out my voters",
Forna giggles "you know Aspire and New Empire after civil rights issues are far more north than your coalition partners"
Loona "that would be a betrayal..."
Forna would it "if war starts we treat humans as we treat Titans, you have my word on it, and we pass Zeramblin Act with amendment as quickly as possible with overwhelming numbers. That's not a betrayal that's getting everything you want just by shifting your caucus from South to North..."
Loona "conservatives will run everything for the next 50 years, my status of floor leader will be contained by the most conservative parties"
Forna "more like 60 years, and yes your partners aren't going to let you reshape our society, but you will have vast control on things that are important to you"
Loona feels likes she's been through her fifth loop "can I think about it"
Forna smiles "certainly, need an answer before the campaign starts so we can maximize our pick up opportunities"
Loona as she leaves she wonders how the hell did she get into this position, as with Darren and Niall the only thing she had at risk was pride, was her pride worth what she would gain? She thought about it and like Darren and Niall, no her pride wasn't worth it. In a day or so she would accept What Forna had offered with grace and she would have to get out of this funk.
FCS Yggdrasil
Dr. Banzai and his NAIS staff had been going over the various projects Archon-Prince Victor had tasked with. Ammunition that can incapacitate Titans, check Generation 1 ether still loading that onto LRMs, SRMs, and artillery to allow for maximum dispersion. Muscle relaxants on rifles and machine gun rounds, Lasers had been converted to heat rays (though with a single flip could be back to lasers) and PPCs into tazers. It was one advantage of having such huge potential enemies that they weren't a flash kill, you had to hit them with enough to take out at least a small hovercar, not hard to achieve, but since that night enjoying brandy with Kai, Hohiro, and Victor wanted a war in which no one died, one that even his foes would only count at worst broken bones and sprained muscles.
To aid with that Dr. Banzai, actually, it was Dr. Lawrence Holo who figured out how to collapse warp bubbles with both Naval Lasers and Naval PPCs. The Naval PPCs had a nice area of effect and slow dispersion, one light NPPC could with a single firing collapse warp fields in a 1000 cubic miles of where the beam started and terminated, the larger the longer and more expansive the effect. They had been testing it on the logistical shuttles and it was sufficiently successful that they had to scale it back or the Titans would suspect.
Victor had given all these orders while he was fighting the Insectoids, he trusts and likes Sorcha, but she is half-Titan and she is a citizen of the Empire (even if they don't recognize her father on her birth certificate), besides it's safer for her to be kept out of this loop. Banzai believes Jana suspects, but she doesn't know. 90% of all the preparations are done, the last that are still being worked out the upgrading of their jump drives, well they have to thank at least one Titan for that if not two, Naskia was key in providing them with the theory needed to upgrade their jump drives, as was Niall, but Kymie, Kymie was able to bypass the shortage of Germanium with copper and other base metals. Banzai was surprised but it worked and was more effective then he would guess. In under three days, all jump ships would have 10x their original range. That a command circuit was be constructed to Archavia and the Empire's capital Tuaut was a bit of fiction so if a war was required the shock of Bulldog ships arrive from ranges beyond anticipated would provide a large tactical advantage over the Titans.
So the New Avalon Institute of Science with the aid and assistance of the Freemans had created several secret weapons. As with most such weapons, it would only be a matter of time before they were used... That time was growing very short indeed.
Donia 60 days since mis-jump
Aezhey was looking frantically for Omi, the block had retreated, but only to get better organized and to push through at a weak point. Gae had last visual, she was, as usual, speaking with humans and titans on her home universe, winning hearts and minds. Unfortunately, her confidence from being here this long was a bit too high. The Aenur Foundation working with the Government had gained intel that Omi was going to be a target and soon.
Thurfrit and Alesia were searching for Omi when they saw the 100+ Block protesters, they were converging of course on the one member of their group with a Blue, Red and Yellow Kimino. Whose only sin was that she was teaching children of all sapient species of her worlds, the worlds of her mate. They could only hope it wasn't too late the Block seemed to have blood in their eyes.
As the other humans noticed the Titans approaching, Omi handed four babies off to their mothers "please get them to safety",
the first Mother as they try to pull her with them "you have to come with us!!!"
Omi "they come for me and my son, they are intent on having us, if I flee more will die, now go and May God look over all of you",
As the last prepares to leave Omi brave and defiant has a single tear flowing from her left eye "please make sure Victor receives these" as she puts her Buddhist texts, her Bible and her unfinished book her recordings in the woman's arms as her tears flow "let Victor know Kitsune and I will love him forever and we'll wait for him to pass to the next life, but he has love here and much to accomplish before he can come home to us" Omi hugs her and gives her a quick push "now go, flee to safety!!!"
The Block watch all the humans flee their presence as they should, all but one Omiko Kurita stands in defiance of their power, a pebble against their river, she will not flee, she is Kurita, her mate of choice is a Davion they would also hold fast against evil! At this moment she will do penance for her family before all of humanity, 52 million dead due to the Kentares Massacre. For once a Kuritan will be a symbol of human freedom, liberty, and dignity, her soul will be worthy of the family she has wished to join since she first met Victor on Outreach all those years ago. To have the moral courage of the Davion's, to meet their fate like John, Victor's uncle Ian who sacrificed himself for his Soldiers, those who served their virtues like Victor's cousin Patrick Kell who by his valor and honor allowed Victor to be born.
As a block thug crushes her body she feels her and Kitsune's soul move on, she is bathed in gold and sunlight, John Davion, she knows his image from all the history she's studied, Joshua his son is with him, Edwina his wife, Paul, Melissa, Ian a number of Steiners are there as well Jennifer and Katrina being the most noteworthy, they welcome her and her child with warmth and love, of the two saviours she expects the one that isn't Budha welcomes her and her son home in his arms she looks down on Victor and prays "May you find happiness in the life you have my Love, may you stay true to who you are, may you find the love you have beside you" She smiles genuinely her tears are happy "Kitsune, your families and salvation await you, but you have so much more to do in the material world be the light and hope you are, it is paradise we'll all wait for you, Beloved!!!" The family she had been joining since Outreach follows her home. All wishing to share paradise with her and Kitsune...
Aezhay "what's happening?"
she sees Omi in defiance of beings at least 20x her height holding firm, buying time for the other humans to flee. In shock, she can't believe it, she would be terrified, but there is nothing but resolve and courage in Omi face she screams "GET OUT OF THERE OMI!!!", she is crushed on the first stomp no way anything survived it, by the fifth "Tall as Trees" finds her anger and rushes toward the murderous thugs, her actions likely saved a thousand humans as Omi had only delayed their movements, her aggressive action toward the block with Gae and Palsa joining formed a bulwark from which the humans were able to pull back. Within five minutes the peacekeepers are there and have arrested the block, too late for Omi, Kitsune and four hundred others... Aezhay and Thurfrit cry over the loss of all life but have grown to know the 'daughter of the dragon' they miss her presence, the loss of the Kuritan princess affects all the protesters as they hear about it. How many more must fall before Humans are treated as they should be. Out of sorrow anger begins to stir, humans at Titans for being so cruel, decent Titans at themselves for letting things get to this point, but this anger would be just a taste of what the universe had in store.
End Notes:
With the Insectoids all but gone and with the cruelty of the Block exposed things are bound to change for both universes...
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