Asteroid Blues

Infinity

Operation Mercury Rose

View Linked Report - CLICK HERE 300 POINTS
ALEPH
Epistaxis
VS Ariadna
Major Thomas Williams

+++///COMMS INTERCEPT IN PROGRESS+++
+++///TRAFFIC BACKPLOTTED THROUGH THIRTY SEVEN COMM NODES+++

"We have intelligence reports that point to Ariadnan elements being compromised by Shasvastii infiltrators."

+++///VOICE PRINT IDENT...+++
+++///…+++
+++///…+++
+++///UNKNOWN.+++

"They've got seeds. They're moving them through the Battery Field, referring to them as 'remote sensing devices'."
"How many?"
"Unknown."
"Destination?"
"Unknown."
"Evidence?"

///+++DATASTREAM CORRUPTED+++
///+++SIGNAL LOST+++
///+++DATA ANALYSIS...+++
///+++...+++
///+++LIKELYHOOD OF ACCURACY...37%+++
///+++OPERATIONAL OVERRIDE IN PROGRESS+++
///+++ASSEMBLE STRIKE TEAM TO INVESTIGATE. OPERATION CLEARED FOR LEATHAL INTERACTIONS.+++

We were back on the battery field again. All of us. Indirah, Shakti, Scirocco, Sushi and the rest of the Dakinis, and that Shukra Axton, still kitted out like a Yadu.

The thin atmosphere of the dome was tense. All the levity from the previous training session was gone. We were here to gather evidence, and if we had to, destroy everything in the area.

Somebody up the chain had picked up actionable intelligence of Shasvastii incursion into Ariadnan ranks. The intel was thin, but the analysts had decided it was good enough to investigate. In these interesting times, the definition of what was actionable was getting wider and wider.

The word was the Ariadnans had possession of a number of seed embryos, and were moving them through the battery field, to some unknown location. We were there to investigate if the information was accurate, and to take the appropriate measures if it was.

The fighting began almost immediately. I had insinuated myself near a recently placed "remote sensing device, and was about to crack it open and see what was inside, when all hell broke loose.

Despite our best attempts at infiltration, the Ariadnans picked up on our presence immediately. I didn't give them too much credit, though, as those dogs have fantastically sensitive noses, and I can only imagine that the smell of synthetic flesh, hydraulic fluid, and robots, is quite...distinctive.

Indirah ordered the advance up the field, using her advanced optics to slice through the Ariadnans camouflage, revealing several nearby decoys and Hardcases. She raised her rifle as the closest target pulled his bowstring taut, and was a second too slow getting her finger to the trigger, the tesium shod arrow spearing through right side of her chest in a gout of blue fluid, the sudden shock of the impact sending her shots wide.

I could hear the sounds of the Dakini moving up the field, followed by the rapid thumps and explosions of grenade fire, but we were all running with out datastreams set to minimum communications, since it was impossible to tell who might have been listening in on the area.

A green indicator winked on in my augmented vision, it was time to go. I activated the override protocols in my electronic warfare package and brute-forced the sensor tower open, it's panels retracting with a soft hiss and click. Inside, where I had expected to see a neatly wrapped Shasvastii seed soldier, ready for immolation, or disintegration, I was instead greeted by a large, octagonal box, on the cover of which was a keypad, and several blinking indicator lights. The electronic warfare suite took a second to scan the box, and informed me that it was insufficient to overcome the devices that were keeping the box closed and locked.

"Well, shit." I said, to nobody in particular. I grabbed the box and double-timed it back around the corner of the nearest building, noting the utter absence of useful cover, and doing my best to guess where any infiltrator would likely come from.

I heard the smallest rustle in the pebbled surface behind me, and I knew immediately that I had guessed wrong.

I didn't feel anything as the knife slipped between my shoulder blades, severed my spinal column, and speared through my heart. Small mercies, right?

I was dead before I hit the ground, and I hadn't even seen who or what had killed me.

My consciousness reverted to the virtual construct overlay of the battlefield we were all running, and my geist popped up in my field of vision.

"Congratulations, Silver!" it said, condescendingly "That makes twenty three deaths so far this year!"
A virtual chalkboard appeared beside it and it wrote another tally mark next to all the others."

I willed it away, and tapped into Shakti's datastream. She was always a good one to spectate from. She was one hell of a strong fighter, and usually survived engagements like this mostly intact.

My vision shifted suddenly, and I was watching the battle unfold through Shakti's eyes. I got there just in time to see one of those massive armored suits the Ariadnan's frequently deploy mow down Indirah in a hail of armor piercing rounds.

I felt a presence next to me.

"Not good, Indirah" I said "I think that's the same one that got you during our last training mission..."

"Silence, Naga." was all she said to me before her presence disappeared.

As Indirah fell, the entirety of our remaining forces that were able do so opened up on the Blackjack, raking the area with gunfire. The heavily armored combat chassis went down, sparks erupting from its power plant, and fluids pouring out from within its bulk.

Shakti took command, but the damage had already been done. The momentary loss of control had caused the Dakini team to revert to their basic battlefield command protocols, and they rushed towards the remaining sensor nodes, intent on capturing them at all cost. The advanced, heedless of the mines and short range artillery that were covering the central area of the field, and most were destroyed in a hail of rocket fire.

While everything was in disarray, Scirocco decided at that moment to try and score some hero points, and engaged the soldier which I presume had dispatched me. The Ariadnan went down, but where there's one Ariadnan, there's probably at least three more that can also see you, and as Scirocco tried to advance up the field, a marksman's round passed directly between his eyes.

We all lamented the loss of such a high end Lhost.

Shakti frantically began issuing orders to try and salvage something, anything, from this mission, but it was too little, too late.

Sushi smashed open the nearest sensor node, once again discovering a heavily reinforced octagonal box. Lacking the means, or the time, to open it properly, it, and the remaining Dakini, began loping back down the field towards the extraction point as Shakti laid down a barrage of covering fire.

It was all for naught. The Ariadnan advance was relentless, and even with the protection of solid cover, Shakti and the remaining bots were overrun and incinerated.

I hoped the usual cleanup measures would be enough to expunge any trace of our actions on the battery field this day.

+++///MISSION FAILURE DETECTED+++
+++///DEPLOYING DNA CHAFF TO FORESICALLY OCCLUDE A.O.+++
+++///ACTIVATING DISASSEMBLER NANOSWARMS+++
+++///BEGIN NEWSFEED DATASPAM+++

If anybody was paying attention to the ALEPH bodies that had fallen on the battlefield, they would have seen them boil away into clouds of ozone within minutes. Fortunately, before the disassemblers did their job, every piece of video and audio recording equipment within the area of operations was subverted, and any data of the engagement was promptly deleted.

Army Lists Used In This Battle

Register or Login to see the Army Lists

Battle Report Average Rating



Log in to rate this battle.

Recommend Commander For Commendation

7 People Recommended Epistaxis for commendation

Share this battle with friends

Ariadna
Major Thomas Williams
Wins

8 Comments