Wednesday, January 12, 2005

The Conflict

"Fire main cannons on my mark."Captain Ziegler paused for three seconds then shouted:"Fire!"

Almost instantly,nine white-hot projectiles burst forth from the huge barrels of the Hydra's three sets of Supersonic Shock Cannons in nine simultaneous explosions. of flame and noise,and sped toward their intended target:a monolithtic Rencond flagship.

The conflict started two hours ago,with the Rencond initiating it.One of the Terran's scout vessels,a Sparrow-class interceptor by the name of the Raven,had collided accidentally into one of the multiple Rencond space probes,and wrecked it.Although the Raven was also severely damaged,it managed to return to Zion Prime,the massive,rotating complex in Zeanur 4's orbit that the Terrans call home.It did not return alone however,an armada of twelve alien vessels materialised out of nowhere,and started shooting at the sight of the Raven.Thus began the conflict.

Initially,the battle was going well for the humans,with their Orbital Defense Platforms keeping the Rencond ships at bay.One white-hot depleted uranium projectile was enough to punch through the silver,shimmering energy shields of a Rencond Stratoforce-class destroyer,and gut the hapless vessel from stem to stern.Out of the twelve vessels that had come after the Raven, only five remained after half an hour,a testament to the superiority of the Terran defenses.

However,all that changed an hour into the conflict,when the Rencond forces moved out of the Platforms' range,and started to bombard the Terran ships with long-ranged weaponry:energy beams and torpedoes.Six Tempest-class Terran destroyers went up in flame in the six minutes that the Rencond had renewed their assault,and Zion Prime wanted those robots terminated.
Thus,Captain Ziegler was ordered to mobilise,and quell the onslaught.

Captain Ziegler was a man of outstanding capabilities.His Career Service Vitae was a full seven pages long.He had survived eleven battles with the Xeno,six with the Zelarians and two with the Rencond.His charisma,as well as bravery,has gotten his crew out of dangerous situations time and time again.He was truly a war hero.His customised Dreadnought-class heavy crusier,the Hydra,is a ship worthy of the man's name.Along with the standard issue triple batteries of three Supersonic Shock Cannons each, four pods of Arbalest Atmospheric and Space-use Missiles and twenty-four 40mm autocannons,the Hydra had a secret weapon that gave it an edge over any ship in the fleet:a Neutron Cannon.

An advanced prototype,the neutron cannon is capable of delivering a compacted uranium bolt encased in a class-five electromagnetic field to targets almost sixty kilometres away,and place that bolt with pinpoint accuracy.Upon impact,the field collapses,and the compacted atoms disperse,their neutrons separate from the other members of the atomic system,and thus creating the deadly "splitting the atom" effect that ended the second World War in the 1940s. This effect is sufficient enough in force to decimate half of Earth's moon.However,once the cannon is used,the ship carrying it will lose all power,and be dead in space until another ship comes along to pick it up.The complicated array of equipment needed to fire the ray would also have to be remade,making the neutron cannon very not cost-effective.Captain Ziegler had pressured the dockmaster to install it on his ship,sacrificing a few cigars for it.Under Ziegler's relentless assault,the dockmaster finally gave in,and agreed to "accidentally" install the cannon on the Hydra's bow.Finally,the weapon could be of some use.

"Track those Apex fighters,Lieutanent Jones,"Captain Ziegler ordered,"and give them a warm reception."

"Aye sir,already engaged,"the cute-faced lieutanent replied.

On the sides of the Hydra,twenty-four rectangular hatches slid open,and an equal number of twin-barrelled 40 millimeter automatic cannons emerged from the openings.Almost immediately,spouts of flame spewed forth from the barrels,chipping away at the Rencond single-ship fighters' shields.The small,highly manuverable Apex-class interceptors were just another item in theRencond's bottomless arsenal.The small things proved to be both a nuisance, and a lethal threat,their energy cannons draining the shields of the Hydra precipitiously. Nevertheless,once the autocannons were deployed,nine puffs of fire emerged on the view screen and vanished from the radar.

"Stand by for course correction,declination zero zero three six by zero zero eight two."Ziegler told the navigation officer,Timmons.

"Course set.Awaiting your order sir,"Timmons replied,hand hovering over his console.

Ziegler,however,said nothing.He just stared at the massive metallic vessel in front of him. The Rencond ship was shaped like an arrow,with its bow sharpened to a point.The brigde stood on the stern,above the powerful engines.Cubes flashed beams of energy,cutting any unlucky ship nearby.The ship had a sort of odd,predatory beauty,blemished however,by a gaping hole in its starboard prow.The metal was jagged and serated,and curled away from the wound.One of the Hydra's cannon shells must have impacted into it just now.Yet,the vessel was still fully functional.If only we knew what goes on inside those ships,then we would have a better chance against these metallic monsters,Ziegler thought angrily. If only-

Ziegler halted in mid thought.He had a brainwave.

Quickly,he hit the button for the intercom.It buzzed to life,with a man's coarse voice enamanting from it,laced with static.

"Bunker to bridge,Smith here.What's up Cap?"Smith asked.

"Smith,I want you to ready your squad and get to launch bay Seven ASAP.I got a little mission for you."Ziegler smiled.

"You serious?"Smith quizzed dubiously,"I mean we ARE in space,aren't we?"

"You are correct Smith.But we require you to-",Ziegler paused to search for the correct word,"- take over an enemy ship for us.I'm sure you can handle it."

Smith processed the information for a whole three seconds,then said,"We're on it sir.Bunker out."He then proceeded to issue his own orders to his team.

Finally,there were aliens to kill.

And none of them wanted to miss out on the fun.


To Be Continued...

Tuesday, January 11, 2005

The Conflict

The Hydra fired her port micro thrusters and flew sideways, just as a lance of slender green energy swept through the place where the Hydra was a moment ago.Captain Ziegler heaved a sigh of relief.That was close.Too close.

"Engines all stop and turn one hundred and eighty degrees.Point us at that thing."Ziegler ordered Timmons.

"Aye,sir.Engines answering.All stop.Rotating now."Timmons said,a tinge of worry present in his meek voice.

The four-thousand-ton Hydra came to a standstill and swivelled to face the owner of that energy beam.Captain Ziegler expected it to be one of the Rencond's deadliest starships,a Valken-class crusier,but it was not.

It was something larger.

Much larger.

Directly across the Hydra, the space started to distort.The area became like a pool of water,with ripples coming from the centre of it.Then,something emerged from the distorted space.A ship. A Rencond ship,unlike any Ziegler had seen before.Instead of the usual arrow-head design characteristcal of most Rencond vessels,this one was a solid rectangular block.A black,equipment-laden area was sandwiched between two silver-white layers.A circle served as the only decoration for the bottommost deck of the ship.On the topmost,layers of small squares, most likely hatches,could be seen surrounding a hexagonal region,probably the bridge.Captain Ziegler could not discern any weapons onboard.

"Computer,"He called out,"Give me a full scan of that ship.I want every plate of alien metal overturned for answers."

"Processing,"A female voice emnamated from nowhere,with the characteristic warble of synthesized vocals,"Vessel is approximately four point two kilometers long and two point four kilometers wide.Spectroscopic analysis proved inconclusive.Ship's material doesn't match any known Rencond materials.Black region impervious to scanning.Recommend caution."

Interesting,Ziegler thought,a new ship.This should be of some entertainment.

"All thrusters to station keeping.Computer,evade any energy beams fired in our direction and alert me if there are any anomalies."Ziegler commanded,"And get me Smith on the intercom."

***

Slowly,cautiously,Smith rounded a shiny metallic corner.Nothing.For some reason,the alien vessel was empty,devoid of any life.Since they landed the Albatross into the ship's hole, they had seen nothing but metal and more metal.Smith was getting bored.Sighing further,he gripped his weapon tighter and moved on,with his team in tow.

Smith was a commado,the creme de la creme of the human infantry. And he proved it numerous times that he was,too.His team was responsible for the deaths of thousands of enemy troops,and the victories on the ground.Name of his squad:The Freikorps,after the real ones during the German Weimar Republic.

Smith advanced slowly,right hand on his Mark 8A Light Machine Gun,standard issue for commandoes.Under the barrel of the weapon hung a small cylinder-the shell launcher.A modified grenade launcher from the now obselete M16 assault rifles,these tubes could either fire an armor-piercing round or an inciendiary one,making them very invaluable on the battlefield. The inbuilt fire-control computer,coupled with Smith's compulsory neural implants done at birth,made the weapon a monster.

Clank.

The sound of metal banging against metal resonated throughout the dark,deary corridor.

Clank clank.

And it grew louder by the second.Smith swallowed and put up two fingers,and pointed them to the left.Winfield,the heavy weapons specialist,and Suzuki,a stealthy Infiltrator,silently moved to the opposite wall,and prepared for their first meeting with a Rencond soldier.

The being rounded a corner,and came into full view of the Freikorps.It was astounding.It was about a meter high,stood on chicken legs,and had two metal extensions along its cuboid torso as arms.A single red line pulsed in the middle of the torso.It too,turned to face the intruders,and lifted its arms.Without any sound,two blocks slid forward from the back of the alien to cover its arms,and locked themselves there with a resonating click.Then,twin spheres of green energy started to materialise in front on them.

Energy beams.

Smith and his teammates were dumbfounded,all except one.At the back of the Terran group,a lone figure vaulted high into the air and came down,just infront of the alien.The alien,visibly surprised,hurriedly raised its charging arms and prepared to release their deadly cargo.Its efforts were in vain however,for the lone human had a M2C heavy pistol levelled at the creature's red line-eye.He fired a sustained burst of three armor-piercing rounds into it.

The alien fell to the ground with a satisfying clank,silver blood formed a pool on the metallic floor.

The human,Combat Elite Number 12,said in a cool monotone,"Threat neutralised.Resume initial operation."

To Be Continued...

Monday, January 10, 2005

The Conflict

"Lock all missiles on that vessel and blow it out of the sky!"Commander Kim ordered her Weapons officer,Lieutanent Rosemary.

"Aye,ma'am.Missiles away,"the cool,porcelain-featured lieutanent calmly replied.

On screen,dozens of elonganated Fletcher missiles streamed towards their target,their exhaust leaving white streaks on the blackness of space.The Rencond Rampage-class destroyer,however, did not attempt to take any evasive manuevers.Instead,it just held its position,and continued to pummel the Freedom Alliance with energy beam after energy beam, reducing its proton shields to twenty-two percent,and dropping further.

The Freedom Alliance,a Terran Tempest-class destroyer, was a vessel built solely for the purpose of war.It sported two Supersonic Shock Cannons,thirty pods of twelve Fletcher missiles each,two Jupiter-class nuclear missiles as well as a launch tube capable of firing the vessel's sole Gamma Charge,its three Sparrow-class interceptors,or a team of highly-trained commandoes in a space-faring pod.A destroyer also had almost two meters of armor plating covering it from stem to stern,along with the standard-issue proton shields.Theoratically,the Freedom Alliance can take,and deliver,an enormous amount of punishment.Right now,that theory was being tested.

The Rencond equilvalent of the Freedom Alliance appeared out of the distorted space created by the Rencond monolith flagship.As soon as it re-entered normal space,it started attacking the Freedom Alliance,blasting her with energy beams and torpedoes.Commander Kim had lost more than twenty hands since she engaged the enemy,and she was not about to let them die without avenging them.

***
The Hydra lay hidden in the debris field,awaiting the chance to launch an attack on the Rencond forces.Already,the fleet had lost twenty ships,frigates and destroyers.Zion Prime did not want to risk the Armada-class carriers,for fear they will be easy targets.Captain Ziegler flinched.A carrier was two times larger than his crusier,and had nearly four meters of armor plating as compared to his three and a half meters.Each carrier was equipped with forty-eight 40 mm autocannons for mounting a point defense against the smaller ships,and relied on other ships for protection.However,the presence of a carrier would significantly increase the striking power of the fleet.Each massive ship carried six Assault Units,humanoid robots armed with a heavy machine gun and two pods of Fletcher missiles,capable of dealing massive damage to an enemy target over a short period of time.Six Sparrow-class interceptors are also carried on the giganyic vessels to tackle the faster ships of the enemy fleet.Along with those,carriers also had four Hawk-class Fighters.These larger versions of the Sparrow fly at Mach 4 and are capable of both deep space and atmospheric flight.A quartet of fifty millimeter cannons and a Fletcher missile pack served as the armnament for the swift ships,and are sufficient to put a Zelarian Hyperthorne-class crusier out of commission in just ten minutes.Ziegler,for once,resented the higher-ups' decision,but shrugged it off and continued to find a way defeat the Rencond,just as the frigate,the Mackenzie,flew up to the starboard flank of it,missiles firing.

What the hell was that ship's captain thinking?Ziegler thought,That's suicide!

As if he was right,a slender blue beam shot out from the black,equipment laden area,and engulfed the Mackenzie,immoblising it.A tractor beam of some sort,Ziegler pondered,interesting.

"Sir,we are receiving a distress signal from both the Mackenzie and Freedom Alliance,"Jack,the operations officer,suddenly called out.

"On speakers,"Ziegler calmly replied.

"Mayday,mayday!We are incapable of moving off!The Rencond ship has us trapped in some kind of tractor beam and we are detecting high levels of energy coming from the ship!Hurry! Send hel-"The speaker went dead,and static filled the room.

On the other speaker,"Commander Kim of the Freedom Alliance requesting reinforcements at these coordinates.We had depleted all of our ammunition and shields are at 8 percent and dropping steadily.Rencond destroyer and frigates bearing down on us.Please send aid,fast."

Captain Ziegler looked worried.He had to help both the ships.Both were under his command.He had to think of a solution fast,or else hundreds of lives would be lost.Finally,he made a decision.

"Lieutanent Timmons,plot a course for the Freedom Alliance's position but make these corrections to the course.We are going after both of them."

Friday, January 07, 2005

Love,A Myth?

Your destruction is the will of the Gods,and we are their instrument,the sentence read.It was as meaningful as it was scary,with a sinister alter-meaning behind it.Just reading that sentence gives me both the shivers and an overhwleming sense of awe.With that,I closed the book and returned to waiting for my very late friend,silently promising to deliver a fatal blow to his spine if he does not turn up in five minutes.

It was then she appeared,like a goddess,desecending from the clouds,with a face and aura to match.I could not peel my eyes off her.No,I can't let matters of the heart get into my way,not at this time of the year.My head says 'NO!',but my heart says 'YES!'.I was in a dilemma,torn between the devil and the deep blue sea.In the end I resisted and choose...the deep blue sea.With a heavy heart,I trudged off into the shopping centre.A small,barely audible sigh emnamated behind me.

The next day,I had another appointment with the same friend at the same shopping centre.As I made my way there,I silently wished that she would reappear as she did yesterday,as suddenly and as beautiful.And what do you know,there she was,as perfect and as innocent as time had left her.My heart started to intensify its beating,to my discomfort.The urge to get to know her better was tearing me apart,but no matter how great the strain was I always resisted,until now.

Resistance is futile.

What?My heart.It broadcasted those ominous words into my neural network,making me lose my focus in curbing my feelings for a spilt second.However,it did not just halt there.

Resistance is futile.You will comply.

No...I cannot succumb to my desires...not now,not at this crucial point in my life.The message however,really appealed to me.Ah! I could not hold on any longer! But I had to...for my future's sake.I held on,my upper canines leaving incision marks on my lower lips.

Resistance is futile.You will adapt.

The stress was becoming too great.My will was losing a vital battle to an enemy that was once an ally, and that could barely be fought.I stole a glance at her.She shot up,her long flowing brown hair falling into place around her petite face,her blue-green eyes bulging in a most remarkably beautiful fashion.It could be due to the fact that I thrust my head up too forcefully,startling her.At that instant, her eyes met mine.They seemed to exude a radiance so brillant,so bright,and so powerful.In a figment of my own imagination,those windows to the world seemed to unleash a stream of crackling electricity into my own,blinding me,separating me from my will,numbing my conscience and all its affiliates,effectively putting an end to the resistance I had been working so hard to maintain.The war was over,with my heart the victor.

Resistance is and always has been,futile.

To Be Continued...