home

search

Act 0: The Greater Good (Part I)

  MasterY_001

  “All actions stem from a system of priorities. When priorities csh, conflict is born.”

  PART I: SuspicionMONTA-7

  This terrestrial pnet, once full of life, has had its flora and fauna eradicated during resource extraction operations. Currently, it’s a battleground between those who cim to own it and their enemy.

  The defending army is composed of hardened soldiers encased in electronic armor and armed with ballistics and explosives. They are Humans who serve the Gactic Sectoral Armed Forces (GSAF), the military of their government, the Gactic Confederacy. Tough, skilled, and ruthless, the sight of their blue armor has become infamous throughout the gaxy.

  The soldiers of the opposing force are tetrabrachial bipeds with elegant technology based on an enigmatic phenomenon known as psionics. They are soldiers of the Ghiio Tribes, a Veriyan faction, and are losing the battle.

  MONTA-7, GSAF ENCAMPMENT, COMMAND CENTER

  As the fighting continued outside, a group of Humans were being briefed by their commander, General Isaac Bull. They were about to begin a decisive assault to drive out the Veriyans for good.

  Bull is one of the most well-known military commanders in GSAF. With titles like “Jewel of Mankind” and “The Confederacy’s Champion,” he’s known for being a great leader who commands from the front. A very tall and imposing man, his broad shoulders and lean muscles are a testament to years of combat experience. While handsome in a somewhat stern way, his face is marked with a pair of scars that just miss his blue eyes.

  “As you all know, the Veriyans are still considered a retively new threat. There are more unknowns here than I’m comfortable with, so I need everyone to pay attention,” he announces authoritatively.

  Compared to the Scythe (first contact was over 600 years ago) and the Deldraka (first contact was 58 years ago), the Veriyan race was still a mystery to the Humans. They were known for their nomadic nature, religious beliefs, and enigmatic technology that challenged most ws of science. Even so, most Humans, especially GSAF, are skilled at turning their fear of the unknown into battlefield rage.

  “Lights!”

  At Bull’s command, the lights are dimmed. Then, a screen in the front of the room turns on, dispying a real-time map of the battlefield.

  “The Veriyans have taken over the western and northern mountain ranges to coordinate their attacks,” he continues. “Our scouts discovered their main headquarters in a captured outpost up north. That’s where we’ll strike first.”

  “These mountain ranges are filled with neodymium and magnetite. The two metals generate magnetic fields that’ll disable our tech but leave theirs unharmed. The base does have a magnetic neutralizer, but the aliens cut the power when they moved in.”

  Bull taps a button on a nearby console, and the screen changes to show a network of underground maintenance tunnels. The walls were padded with sheets of demagnite polymer, one of the many new resources discovered by Humans. This particur material is a type rubber refined to block magnetic fields simir to a magnetic neutralizer.

  “We’ll enter from below. The 3rd, 4th, and 5th Mechanized Infantry will take the main tunnel and secure its maintenance elevators. They may require repairs, so bring a truck of spare parts with you.”

  “Meanwhile, Mirror Squad will attack a control tower and get the generators back online. Then, you can all ascend to the surface and clear the way for the rest of our forces.”

  Mirror Squad was a well-known name among Bull’s men. While widely regarded as the best strike team in GSAF, all their soldiers are known for being deviants who were handpicked by their leader. Unlike most Confederates, instead of wearing blue, they paint their armor gray and silver.

  Bull taps another button, and the screen changes to show a picture of a Veriyan woman from four different angles. “This is Elesi’re’ligaj, Sireli for short. She holds the rank of ‘Zalsu,’ roughly the equivalent of a lieutenant-general. We have orders from Gactic Congress to capture her and other officers as prisoners of war. They want us to use them for information.”

  “So, once their fleet in orbit finds out we have their leaders in custody, they’ll retreat in a heartbeat. Lights!” As the lights turn back on, the screen turns off. “Suit up; we move out in ten. Dismissed!”

  The soldiers and officers gradually leave the command center while chatting amongst themselves. In the front row, a young woman with freckles, blue eyes, and long silver hair stays behind. She wears a bow tie with a blue gem and a button-up shirt with two of the middle ones undone for comfort. There was a glowing bracelet on her right wrist with the letters “SNR,” meaning she was a Silencer, a type of elite soldier artificially enhanced with psionic abilities.

  She’s Vice General Valerie Star, the commander of Mirror Squad and the most powerful Silencer there ever was. Aside from being his protégé, she’s also General Bull’s childhood friend and lover, the second part they chose to keep secret until their retirement.

  Much like her mentor, Valerie is very tall and athletic with a sharp mind. However, she has a curvy and less defined figure, likely due to her love of sweets. Yet, she was also born with enormous physical strength even greater than Bull’s, which makes her very dangerous in combat.

  Valerie stands and wraps her long arms around Bull. They rarely get to be alone, so she takes advantage of every moment they have to be intimate.

  “Have I told you your briefings could be a little less succinct, Issac?” she asks before kissing the nape of his neck.

  “You have, Valerie, many times. And every time you did, I said they needed to be short, or else no one would listen.”

  Unlike most soldiers, Valerie’s very forthright, even at times she shouldn’t be. And this wasn’t just because she was comfortable with him; she was like this with everyone. Though Bull cims to find her impudence annoying and chalks it up to her being telepathic, he actually adores that side of her.

  “Giving the troops a little background information doesn’t hurt,” she continues. “You can at least tell them that Sireli is all the way out here because of her bad rep with the Aralnadu. Or that a Zalsu is a position with military and religious reverence, making their soldiers delusional times two.”

  “Background information is on a need-to-know basis, Valerie. It’s a mutually understood fact between soldiers and officers.” Bull gently pulls her hands off of him. “Now get dressed. You asked me to put your team at the front after all.”

  In response, Valerie gives a id-back salute. “Yes, sir~”

  MONTA-7, VERIYAN-OCCUPIED MINING BASE, UNDERGROUND

  With a shout, Valerie and her Mirror Squad lead the charge into the tunnel. She wields her dual pistols with deadly accuracy while using her powers to support her allies.

  While most Silencers can only use about eight psionic abilities, Valerie has twenty. Her abnormal genetic structure, the reason behind her height, strength, and hair, also made her very compatible with the genetic modifications that create Silencers.

  A trio of Veriyans are mowed down while trying to ambush them from the side. A tan-skinned woman with a rotary rifle stands over them. She gleefully stabs one of the survivors with the bayonet on her weapon, her green eyes glimmering with sadism. She prefers not wearing a helmet when armored, so a braid of artificial rose gold hair rests over her shoulder.

  “Nice job, Raine,” Valerie compliments. “There might be more cloaked ones lying in wait. Help me look for them. The rest of you, hold position.”

  Lieutenant Lani Raine is Valerie’s xenophobic second-in-command and best friend since the Gactic Sectoral Armed Forces Academy (GSAFA). She is also Valerie’s sworn older sister despite being three months older and sixteen centimeters shorter. Though very close to her “little sister V,” Raine is often frustrated and confused by her greater attachment to Bull.

  “I don’t hear anything. I think we’re good,” said Raine. “Where’s the General with our backup?”

  “They encountered some resistance,” Valerie answers. “We’ll go for the op center while he draws the Veriyans away. Remember, we have orders to take prisoners. So, try not to let those xenohunter instincts take over.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  MONTA-7, VERIYAN-OCCUPIED MINING BASE, TOP FLOOR

  KABOOM

  After destroying the armored door to the ops center with a psionic bst, Valerie and her squad quickly dispose of the alien soldiers. A wounded Veriyan tries to stab her from behind a corner but is quickly stopped by Raine. The Lieutenant then draws her machete and cuts off his head in one powerful ssh.

  “Hahaha! Yet another trophy!” she cheers, making Valerie roll her eyes under her helmet.

  “Raine, chill out. That’s an order.”

  “Tch, you never let me have any fun…” Raine gripes.

  “Just round up Sireli and the other officers while I get the magnetic neutralizer back on.” Valerie removes her helmet and turns on one of the computers. She cracks her knuckles and sits down confidently. “Two semesters of Academy CompSci, don’t fail me now…”

  After hacking into their database, Valerie inspects it carefully. “Hmmm… this is a recycled RavenTech console,” she thinks out loud. She frowns as she reads on. “The tactical OS is outdated too… It looks like this mine belonged to Tectonica Combine.”

  “You talkin’ to me, V?” asks Raine.

  “Sorry, sis. I was talking to myself.”

  Tectonica apparently knew Monta-7 was on the Ghiio Tribes’ border. They tried to strip-mine the pnet without being discovered but barely got started, according to these figures. Valerie then remembered how the Veriyans lived and came to a realization.

  They depend on the resources from mineral-rich worlds to maintain their enormous Settlements. Tectonica must’ve overlooked that.

  “Always look before you leap…” she scoffs. After downloading the data into her suit’s memory, Valerie accesses the base’s electrical grid. “Alright, if I just do this, this, and…”

  The console beeps.

  POWER RESTORED TO ALL SYSTEMS. ANTI-MAGNETIC FIELD AT 78%.

  “Man, I’m good.” Valerie pats herself on the back.

  At the same time, Byleth Lewis, Valerie’s best scout, de-cloaks and salutes her and Raine. While a fresh Academy graduate and only nineteen years old (eleven years younger than both of them), Valerie made him part of Mirror Squad on the belief that he had potential.

  “Just did a once-over of the area, Vice General. The way we came is still clear for exfil,” he informs.

  “Good work, Lewis. Cuff the prisoners; we’ll take them with us. Make sure to get all four arms,” Valerie adds, which makes some of her soldiers chuckle.

  As she looks at the dozen Veriyans in her custody, Sireli stares at her eerily.

  “…She is aralrax, is she?”

  SLAP

  Raine hits Sireli across the face with her armored hand, knocking out one of her teeth. “Stick a cork in it, you monster! Or I’ll stick my knife in you!”

  “Stand down, Raine,” said Valerie. She leans down to look Sireli in her rge, purple eyes. “You speak good English for an alien. What do you mean by ‘aralrax?’”

  “A being with psionic ability,” she answers. “It is strange; I sense great power in you. Even more than others who spend their whole lives harnessing it naturally. You are a strange Human.”

  “This animal is trying to get in your head, V. Lemme muzzle her,” Raine interrupts.

  “The more she talks, the more we can learn,” Valerie replies matter-of-factly.

  In truth, she wanted to keep Sireli talking because her insight intrigued her. All the knowledge Humans have on psionics is but a small fraction that was stolen from the Deldraka.

  Valerie rarely has anyone to discuss her powers with. Due to the connection between psionics and the mind, most other Silencers were selected for their aloof personalities and find her vibrant quirkiness irritating. And while scientists understood the theory behind psionics better than her, they have no idea how it feels to wield them.

  Meanwhile, Sireli continues to look at her. “Doubt. You feel much doubt. Your thoughts are well hidden, but the feeling is too strong to hide.”

  Sireli’s words leave Valerie speechless but not out of shock. Instead of continuing this conversation, she activates her comm.

  “Star to Bull, POWs are secured, and the generators are back online. I’ll take the four-arms to the Legend myself.”

  “Acknowledged,” Bull answers. “Give Desha my regards.”

  MONTA-7, VERIYAN-OCCUPIED MINING BASE (A WHILE LATER)

  Having achieved total victory, Bull and the other Confederate troops strut through the battlefield, killing any survivors they see. Once they reach a small hill, a soldier hands him a ceremonial Confederate banner.

  THUNK

  Bull removes his helmet and looks down to address his soldiers:

  “Soldiers of the Gactic Confederacy, be proud of what we accomplished today. Every victory is a step closer to a safe gaxy for Humanity. We don’t fight only for ourselves, but for a society that needs our protection!”

  “Fate never gave Humanity a chance, but we proved fate wrong! We carved our own path through this inhospitable gaxy to build a democracy with no equal! Soon, the final frontier will belong only to us, the Gactic Confederacy!”

  “And may this fg be the st one standing!”

  The soldiers cheer and proudly salute their fg, filled with the rush of victory and patriotic fervor. Seeing this, Bull decides to finish his speech:

  “Glory to Mankind, hail to democracy–”

  “Ad astra pro Humanite!!” everyone yells in unison.

  Satisfied Bull puts his helmet back on and starts to walk away. After taking a few steps, he turns back to watch the Stripes of White waving in the slight breeze.

  “All for Humanity, forever.”

  CSS LEGEND, GENERAL’S OFFICE (AFTER THE BATTLE)

  Aboard the 3.5-kilometer-long Liberty 2-Css Colossus, the CSS Legend, Bull’s soldiers celebrate in the Recreation Deck. Never one for social situations, he enters his office while removing his jacket, then his armored vest, and finally his necktie. Turning on his computer, he begins to work on after-action paperwork for the Defense Cabinet.

  Before he can even type a single word, the door to his office opens with a swoosh, and Valerie walks in. Would it kill her to press the buzzer for once? he thinks to himself.

  After taking off her boots, she plops herself down in front of Bull and puts her feet on his desk. “Whew, all in a day’s work, am I right, Isaac?”

  “Yes, you did well. Get your dirty feet off my desk.”

  “Fine. But I’m taking my milk outta your fridge.”

  Valerie removes her bracelet, an inhibitor that Silencers wear to avoid any unnecessary use of their powers. Using telekinesis, she opens Bull’s mini fridge, takes out a bottle of vanil grain milk, and then closes it.

  “You shouldn’t use your psionics like that, Val,” Bull scolds.

  “It was just one time, dear. Don’t be a buzzkill.”

  Valerie puts the bracelet back on and grimaces as her powers are blocked again. Yet, the inhibitor doesn’t prevent her telepathic and empathic abilities, so she can still see inside Bull’s mind. She opens the bottle and slurps from it nguidly.

  “Mmm, this is really good… By the way, did you see what I wrote in my report?”

  “You mean the part about the Tectonica Combine? Yes, I did.” While Bull’s expression remained neutral, Valerie could sense he was upset. She gives him a look, gently asking him to speak his mind.

  “I informed Gactic Congress of their crime, but don’t expect a reply. Given the recent issues with New Sparta, Tectonica is the next best choice when it comes to mining.” Bull pauses, but after another look from Valerie, he finishes his thought. “And with the election coming up, they have bigger fish to fry.”

  In spite of his patriotism, Bull despised politics, especially those involving Gactic Congress. While the media tries to paint them in a good light, most citizens know that the Confederate legisture is both dysfunctional and corrupt. Like most, Valerie tries to focus on other media instead. This led to her becoming a fan of idol groups, such as the boy band Few-Ture and the girl groups Angel Cn and FAERI.

  “Then, I should tell you something I left out. The Zalsu, Sireli, she tried probing my mind,” Valerie confesses.

  “You’re immune to any form of mind probe, even Rewriters don’t affect you. I don’t see why this matters.” Bull’s apathy made her frown.

  “To put it simply, psionic empathy can penetrate deeper into the subconscious than telepathy,” she expins. “For a strong mind, thoughts are easy to mask. Emotions, not so much.”

  Valerie pauses for a moment. “Sireli said I was doubtful.”

  “Well, are you?”

  “That’s the problem, I don’t know,” she says solemnly. “What do you think, Isaac? Do you think I’m doubtful?”

  “You can read minds too, I bet you already know what I’m thinking.”

  He wasn’t wrong, she already knew what he was going to say. “I still want to hear you say it.”

  “Valerie, in all the years I’ve known you, you never let emotions drag you down. Least of all, doubt,” Bull says. “Even when we were kids, I’ve never seen you second-guess yourself. You’re the type to leap before you look, putting your heart and soul into everything you do.”

  When he brings it up, Valerie fshes back to their childhood. While his parents were both military heroes, hers were servants under their employ. They wanted Valerie to learn a trade or use her strength to be an athlete even though she wanted to do more with her life. She didn’t go to school, and since her hair and height made her a freak, children avoided her. For a while, life was quite lonely… until she befriended Isaac Bull.

  From the day they met, Valerie knew he was different and decided to stay by his side. And after seeing her abilities, Bull convinced his parents to train her for the military as well. When he became a general, naturally he made Valerie his first officer.

  “…It’s what I love most about you,” Bull mutters. Valerie smiles brightly at those three magical words.

  “ Awww~ I love it when you get all romantic. Can you say that st part again? I wanna make it my ringtone.” Bull sighs at her teasing.

  “No.”

  “Pretty please? I know you’re already repeating it in your mind~”

  “If you want to get back at Sireli, now’s a good time. I’m looking for someone to interrogate her,” Bull says to change the subject. “Go use that annoying telepathy on her, not me.”

  “Consider it done, dear.”

  “And please be more professional. We’re on duty,” he adds.

  “As you wish, dear. Sorry for embarrassing you.”

  “I take back all the nice things I said to you!”

  “We both know you don’t,” Valerie smirks. Realizing he’s been beaten, Bull just smiles back at her.

  CSS LEGEND, MAXIMUM SECURITY BRIG

  Sireli kneels on the ground, meditating with indifference to her situation. Besides a modified prison jumpsuit with holes cut out for all four of her arms, a psi-inhibitor colr was pced around her neck.

  After nodding knowingly to one of the guards, Valerie uses the ID in her bow tie to open her cell door. Sireli slowly opens her eyes and stands up slowly.

  “Greetings.”

  “Save the pleasantries,” Valerie orders. “I’m not in the mood for mind games.”

  “What do you ask of me?”

  Taking a diginote out of a pouch on her belt, Valerie begins to read the first question on it:

  “The CSS Proserpina and her escorts went missing near the Deldraka pnet Zerynast three standard weeks ago. A Veriyan ship was sighted–”

  “If your Proserpina carried cargo, it was likely plundered. My people often ambush cargo ships for supplies and leave no survivors,” Sireli interrupts. Valerie is taken aback by the rather eager tone of her response.

  “Then, do you know–”

  “Zerynast, right? So, the Settlement they came from should be a few light-years away, near… Sava-Astain, I believe.”

  Suddenly, Valerie punches Sireli once– “That’s for interrupting me twice!” –and then backhands her with the same hand. “And that’s for lying through your pointy teeth!”

  “Mo’aravka–!” she swears. While not as fluent in Verispeak as Sireli is in English, Valerie is confident she was just called a douchebag. “You cracked a tooth!”

  “Girl, I pulled those punches. That was, like, barely a fist bump,” said Valerie. “And our ships pass Sava-Astain regurly. They never saw a Settlement.”

  After taking a moment to recover from the pain, Sireli stands up straight again.

  “Because Settlements use a far more advanced cloak than the crude ones you build from our Arrowheads. Fine-tune your scanners for shorter wavelength emissions. Another method would be to monitor communication signals from afar, isote the Veriyan frequencies, and follow them back to the source.”

  “I can’t see your thoughts. How do I know all that’s not just a big, fat lie?”

  Unlike most Humans, Valerie wasn’t a skeptic. She just wondered how Sireli would react if she embodied this stereotype. It also could give more insight into Veriyans as a whole.

  “Even if I can’t keep you from looking into my mind, what reason do I have to lie? In the end, you will kill me and my officers no matter what I say. I surrendered to give us time. Time to make peace with our end during our incarceration.”

  “Well, that’s gonna depend on how well you behave, creature. I’m just surprised you didn’t choose to fight to the death.”

  “You think I am a fanatic? I have no love for Ghiio, Human. She is my enemy and a threat to my people, as you believe I am.” Ghiio is the Veriyan behind the rise of the Ghiio Tribes. As their founder, leader, and object of worship, to hear a Zalsu speaking ill of her was a first for Valerie.

  “I thought you cultists worshiped Ghiio or something,” Valerie replies out of genuine curiosity.

  “Not me. Ghiio is mortal like everything else. Her lofty dreams of conquest are both irrational and impossible. I am loyal to my people, not her fantasy,” Sireli expins. Then, she asks a strange question, “Do you have any faith?”

  Valerie scoffs. “Humans abolished that garbage years ago. Only idiots genuinely buy into things like gods or destiny. We just put them into MMOs to make them fun,” she derides. “But I guess that’s why the Aralnadu have it out for you. You’re a heretic.”

  Sireli nods slightly. “I kept it secret for a long time, but they sensed my doubt… Much like how I sense yours.”

  Valerie winds up to hit her again, and Sireli immediately covers her face. Deciding it wasn’t worth it, she lowers her hand and unclenches her fist.

  “Oh, give it a rest! I’m no traitor!” she retorts.

  “Perhaps, but you are not a… uh, what do you call it?” Before Valerie can tell her the word, Sireli remembers it. “Ah… a ‘patriot.’”

  Valerie stares bnkly at Sireli, completely dumbfounded. How does anyone respond after being read like a book?

  “Your emotions will continue to affect you unless you discuss them,” Sireli continues. “If it gives you any soce, I do have another motive. I am curious about your people. I wish to know how Humans became the way they are.”

  For the first time in her life, Valerie finally found someone to talk to. Even though she loved Bull, his ideals prevented him from truly listening to her. And though Raine’s easygoing attitude makes her a better listener, conversations with her quickly end up being one-sided.

  Valerie couldn’t believe what she was thinking. Is she really so starved for empathy, she’d have a casual talk with an alien she just met!?

  “…Screw it,” she mutters. Valerie takes out her phone and pauses the cameras in Sireli’s cell. Now, they can speak freely.

  “Alright, you got me. For most of my life, I’ve fought for the Confederacy. And the things I’ve seen and done have made it hard to look in the mirror tely. Our leadership is driven by self-interest and corruption. Education and morality are basically nil. Our military even stopped treating the wounded to increase wages,” Valerie rants. “I’m just not sure I’m on the right side anymore…”

  Even though she was an alien, Valerie could feel the authentic compassion in Sireli’s eyes transcend all boundaries. “Can you tell me more?” she asks.

  With a sigh, Valerie checks the time with her phone. “Well, we’ve got eight minutes until I have to turn the live feed back on,” she informs. “So, what do you want to know about the Gactic Confederacy?”

Recommended Popular Novels