The sun beat down mercilessly on its subjects,scorching them with its abundance of blistering heat.I quickened my pace.First day at work,cannot be late.
The supermarket was surprisingly serene,none of the hustle and bustle of early morning life was present,taking into mind that the New Year was just a week away.Shoving these thoughts into a crevice deep inside my mind for later consideration,I approached one of
the cashiers and politely requested to see the manager.She complied.
I was put in charge of the frozen goods department,with the responsibility of replenishing any stocks that needed replenishment,and helping out with the running of the supermarket should the need arise.Besides me,there were five others that were temporary staff for the supermarket.After a few days,we got aquainted and soon became friends.Out of the five,two of them-Sally and Tim-were older than the rest of us,nineteen years old. Sue,Joe,Frank and I were just seventeen.No matter,we still hit it off the first time we met.
Day after day,the supermarket grew increasingly crowded,and I found myself multi-tasking all the time.I had to place the frozen chicken wings into the display trays,direct a customer to another department and retrieve a bottle of sauce for another consumer, all at the same time.Day by day,I grew increasingly tired and drained,but I found solace in the most unexpected place-Sue.
When I first met the two girls,I was instantly attracted to Sally,her long flowing golden brown hair,her deep blue-brown eyes and cute physique.However,I was not the only one. Tim too,was smitten with her.Gradually,the attraction between us diminished,and I found myself climbing out of a trap of affection and falling into a ravine of love.
Sue was just your typical schoolgirl,neither too tall or short,with a normal figure coupled with above average looks,she did not stand out in the looks department.However,her personality and character outshone most girls I knew,which was not a lot.That was what drew me towards her,and gradually I grew to like her.
***
The Holy Warrior stood in the middle of the barren wasteland,awaiting his opponent.Clad in shining silver-white armor that covered him from head to toe,the knight certainly looked intimidating.Beyond the slit in his helm,two weary eyes remained closed,until a sound tore the eyelids apart.His opponent had arrived.
The Dark Knight strode confidently to face his rival,left hand resting on the hilt of his weapon.Dressed in shining black armor,”deadly” was written all over him.He wasted no time.With a piercing war cry,the dark warrior drew his blade and charged at the Holy Warrior with full force.
The Holy Warrior drew his own weapon in time to parry his opponent’s blow.It held,just barely.With a forceful thrust,he threw the dark knight back and began an assault of his own,his meter-long sword making an angry screech as it sailed through the air to find its target.
The Dark Knight remained unfazed.He stood his ground as his opponent charged at him with the blessed blade.Just as the weapon was about to bisect the evil fighter,he dissipated into thin air,and the holy kinght’s weapon cut nothing but a cloud of black smog.Inside the shining white helm,two weary eyes bulged in astonishment and shock, and the pupils shifted to the back just in time to see the Dark Knight’s kris-like blade plunge deep into the side of its owner’s torso,tearing the life away from him.
Bleeding and beaten,the white knight’s knees fell to the ground,accompanied with an inconspicuous amount of dark red blood.He hung his head down in shame,and waited for the inevitable.
With a final swinging blow from his kris,the Dark Knight decapitated his adversary and collected his trophy.The battle was over.My heart was now hers.
***
Everyday,I fought off the urge to steal a glance at her,and the belief that I was not good enough for her,and after hearing one of her conversations with my supervisor, I did not bother fighting any longer.
She had a crush once,but did not tell him.Last month,however,he left for Australia with a simple “Goodbye”.She has not gotten over it.My supervisor suggested to her to get a substitute,but she graciously declined.It was against her principles to do such a heartless thing.Little did she know that I would gladly do it for her.Gladly.
As the New Year neared,the supermarket grew crowded,and we grew increasingly busy.Whenever I saw her frowning at work,I would ask Joe-whom I believe also carried a torch for Sue-to help her.It was like serving Sue up to Joe on a silver platter.But it was worth it to see her smile.If she was happy,I would be too.
The days flew by and soon my contract was finished.I had to leave.She did not had to until next week,with Joe.It pained me in realization,but what choice did I have? Do me a favour Sue,give Joe a chance,and at the same time give yourself a chance too.See how it works out.And keep smiling and keep yourself happy,because if you are happy,I would be too.
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Today,the 18th of January,Tuesday,A very significant day
Today,the 18th of January,a glorious Tuesday!How so? Cos its my 17th birthday!Whee!!!!
Happy birthday to me and Jay Chou!Contary to what most people would do on their birthdays,I had to go for a training session,complimentary of my employer-Yeo Hiap Seng or simply Yeos. The factory wasn't that difficult to hard to locate,but it was so inaccessible,and besides I didn't which BUS-repeat BUS-goes by there every half an hour-repeat half hour-,therefore I resorted to the next best thing,walk.
And walk I did,for a full half an hour.Stupid ppl,put the factory so inside for what?Can withstand nuclear strike ah?Kaoz,walk until my dry shirt become a soaking wet one.Once inside the accursed building,I was instructed to sit and wait for further instructions.Not too bad,at least there's air-conditioning in that particular wing of the factory.Soon enough,the receptionist told us to follow a fella,whose name we found out later to be Charles.He's supposed to be one of our trainers.He led us into an auditorium.Woah,I wasn't prepared for the sight before me.At the front,in front of the white screen,were two tables laden with Yeos drinks.That part isn't too bad, what was shocking was what was at the BACK.Thousands,yes thousands,of tetra-brik packs of beverage as well as the cool blue colours of Pepsi.I gasped,didn't see so many drinks together in a place before.An eye-opener.
We had to wait for a further half an hour before the training started,as the late-comers streamed in.The training started soon enough,with a guy going through the history of yeos as well as their products.He then handed the mike over to Charles,who briefed us on the proper stacking,display and merchandising techniques.It was pretty useful.When he finished,he passed the baton to a guy called Nick,the individual responsible for the promotion of Pepsi within Yeos.
He was something of a joker,cracking those as if they were nothing but peanuts,and led his colleagus into upheavals of hilarious laughter,minus us.He explained to us the importanceof effective advertisment using Listerine pocketpaks as example.It was a lame example.
Soon,Nick ended his humor-laced speech,and passed the baton to yet another guy,Patrick.He told us that they would call us within these few days to start work,and we needed to come back to claim our uniforms.Oh crap.Now I have ta wear a uniform.I think I'm gonna cry.No,no tears on my birthday,save it till tomorrow.
Finally,the training officially came to an end,and I dreaded it,cos I needed to walk the same way back.Yes,another half hour.Bummer.However,it was more eventful as compared to the previous one,good caring ppl were sending me Birthday greetings.How thoughtful.Thank You All! I mean it,especially Peggy.Haha,she should know why!Its been seven years since a Birthday song was targeted at me.I'm so touched.Thanks again!
At night,at about ten,TBC called.Drats,I was posted to Ang Mo Kio.Bummer.I hoped to be posted to the supermarket opposite my house.Oh well,you win some you lose some,at least there is a slighter chance of me running into anyone I know there as compared to the other location,both has its own pros and cons,and its no use crying over spilt milk,what is done cannot be undone,unless of course,through divine intervention,which is highly unlikely.Ok,I'm ending here,going to sleep.Take care guys!
Happy birthday to me and Jay Chou!Contary to what most people would do on their birthdays,I had to go for a training session,complimentary of my employer-Yeo Hiap Seng or simply Yeos. The factory wasn't that difficult to hard to locate,but it was so inaccessible,and besides I didn't which BUS-repeat BUS-goes by there every half an hour-repeat half hour-,therefore I resorted to the next best thing,walk.
And walk I did,for a full half an hour.Stupid ppl,put the factory so inside for what?Can withstand nuclear strike ah?Kaoz,walk until my dry shirt become a soaking wet one.Once inside the accursed building,I was instructed to sit and wait for further instructions.Not too bad,at least there's air-conditioning in that particular wing of the factory.Soon enough,the receptionist told us to follow a fella,whose name we found out later to be Charles.He's supposed to be one of our trainers.He led us into an auditorium.Woah,I wasn't prepared for the sight before me.At the front,in front of the white screen,were two tables laden with Yeos drinks.That part isn't too bad, what was shocking was what was at the BACK.Thousands,yes thousands,of tetra-brik packs of beverage as well as the cool blue colours of Pepsi.I gasped,didn't see so many drinks together in a place before.An eye-opener.
We had to wait for a further half an hour before the training started,as the late-comers streamed in.The training started soon enough,with a guy going through the history of yeos as well as their products.He then handed the mike over to Charles,who briefed us on the proper stacking,display and merchandising techniques.It was pretty useful.When he finished,he passed the baton to a guy called Nick,the individual responsible for the promotion of Pepsi within Yeos.
He was something of a joker,cracking those as if they were nothing but peanuts,and led his colleagus into upheavals of hilarious laughter,minus us.He explained to us the importanceof effective advertisment using Listerine pocketpaks as example.It was a lame example.
Soon,Nick ended his humor-laced speech,and passed the baton to yet another guy,Patrick.He told us that they would call us within these few days to start work,and we needed to come back to claim our uniforms.Oh crap.Now I have ta wear a uniform.I think I'm gonna cry.No,no tears on my birthday,save it till tomorrow.
Finally,the training officially came to an end,and I dreaded it,cos I needed to walk the same way back.Yes,another half hour.Bummer.However,it was more eventful as compared to the previous one,good caring ppl were sending me Birthday greetings.How thoughtful.Thank You All! I mean it,especially Peggy.Haha,she should know why!Its been seven years since a Birthday song was targeted at me.I'm so touched.Thanks again!
At night,at about ten,TBC called.Drats,I was posted to Ang Mo Kio.Bummer.I hoped to be posted to the supermarket opposite my house.Oh well,you win some you lose some,at least there is a slighter chance of me running into anyone I know there as compared to the other location,both has its own pros and cons,and its no use crying over spilt milk,what is done cannot be undone,unless of course,through divine intervention,which is highly unlikely.Ok,I'm ending here,going to sleep.Take care guys!
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...
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."
"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...
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