Many of the civilian ships were able to escape the huge skirmish between the Hegemony and the Federation safely enough. Most of them were lucky enough to get away with scraped armor and a few punctures.
Some made it, but had taken significant amounts of damage. Parts of their hull had been torn open, and some of their crew were lost.
The cargo tanker took on the most amount of damage, and her hull was scarred with all kinds of damage. Blast marks, laser scoring, bullet dents. No doubt her repair bill was through the roof.
But they were, for the most part, alive.
Most of the ships headed off to the different parts of the planet, though at least half directed themselves towards the planet’s capital city. The city itself was highly contested, and both the Federation a
One thing I didn’t get to impart is the amount of refugees from neighboring settlements they had to take in. Chapter’s already a bit too meaty and I had to cut it. But basically, everyone on the planet have been running to these smaller settlements, and the fighting’s all starting to encroach further and further towards them.
Eva and Claire walked towards town hall, which was located at the exact center of the settlement. Almost all of the settlements they had come to were laid out similarly. In some cases, they were the exact same.For the most part, the town hall was in the center simply because that’s what every settlement had built first. Everything else was assembled around it, no doubt based on standardized layouts that their building printers came pre-programmed with.Almost all town halls themselves were the exact same design, and so the Ravens learned to spot them on sight.Eva supposed it was the best performing design. Or at the very least, the default blueprint that was good enough so no-one bothered to modify it.The sounds of shouting and arguing grew louder and louder the
It was hours later when Firrex’s sun broke dawn, and slivers of golden light spilled across the settlement.But the work had already long since started. Throngs of people gathered around the Spirit of Amelia, whose belly was lowered and all her cargo was exposed. A handful of settlers wearing load-lifting exosuits pulled down crates of food and set them into piles off to the side.Meanwhile, Miko’s imposing chaingun drones patrolled all around and kept the peace by their presence alone.Miko and Amal were off closer to the ramp, and were talking with the settlement’s primary doctor. All three seemed to be in good spirits.“Thanks for your help Azrael,” said the doctor. “Without you and your meds, this settlement would still
Large flakes of snow drifted lazily down onto the quiet mountain settlement on HDV-502. A thin layer of it gathered up everywhere, but melted quickly along the heated roads and rooftops. Their warmth ensured none gathered too quickly, at least to a certain degree.Any further than a simple flurry, and the cold would have overwhelmed the settlement’s surface heating systems.All other places though, in corners and alleyways and secluded zones, snow and ice from previous cycles piled up nearly a meter high. These areas never enjoyed such leisures. Almost all colonies couldn’t enjoy unlimited energy like the Sol system - only the richest solar systems in Federation space were able to employ Dyson Spheres to get power.Small settlements such as this one had to rely on traditional fusion generators for power,
Planet Dro’ren, Fusil System, Federal Colonial TerritoriesEva’s tall mud boots sank into the soft ground with a wet SQUISH. In fact, all their boots did the same as they traversed the water-logged wetlands that Dro’ren was known for. The ground was so soft that their feet sank down to their ankles with each step.The Ravens all wore their rugged exploration outfits, each with C-ranked light ballistic armor over top of them. And also the mud boots. Without them, their feet would have been soaked in water long ago.“Remind me again why we’re here?” asked Eva.“Not a bad question,” said Max. “Allow me to add to it… Why am I here? It’s not like I’m getting paid like the rest of you are.”
Eva quickly drew her Handcannon and aimed it squarely at the swamptoad’s head, specifically right below the armored ridge between its bulbous eyes. She presumed that was roughly where its brain was.“Wait!” cried Amal. “Don’t shoot it!”“What? Why the hell not?” asked Eva.“‘Coz you might end up damaging its poison sac, wherever it is. With all that moss on it, it’s impossible to tell!”“Doubt it’d be right next to its brain.”“And you know where its brain is, yeah?”“Fine, so what do-”Before Eva could finish her sen
Back at the settlement, deep inside the clinic, past the foyer, and beyond the welcome desk. Past the general prognosis station, and past the patient recovery rooms. Upstairs, inside of the special care unit, a young man slept on a medical pad. A rebreather was attached to his mouth and nostrils, and it ensured that his chest rose and fell with regularity.Even as he slept with a face scrunched up in pain.His clammy and pale skin was accentuated by dark and highly visible veins just underneath. Anyone who looked closely could see his blood pumping weakly inside them.He looked like a corpse on the brink of being alive.Around him were a handful of other beds, all filled with children roughly his age. All just as poisoned as he was. Each of them seemed to be
Eva sat in front of the terminal aboard the Spirit of Amelia and chatted with her grandparents. Everyone else left her alone for privacy, or had contracts they needed to fulfil, or simply kept their distance. Regardless, they were all far beyond earshot.“You two are looking great!” she told her grandparents.“Oh Evie,” said her Grandma, “you’ve always been such an awful liar.”Eva choked down her sadness and forced a smile as she looked at them through the screen. They looked worse every time they got into a call, and it had gotten to a point where it became unbearable for her.Sticking out of her Grandma’s nose were tubes that lead to a portable oxygen tank just off to the side, almost out of view. And when she moved, her
Eva sniffled as she laid in her bunk and stared at the wall next to her. Her eyes were red and damp from constant tears.On her DI was her last conversation with Mack, about her grandparents. Even though it was painful for her to see, she couldn’t help but read it over and over again.—Mack: your grandma passed last night… im so sorryMack: and i had to check your granddad into the hospital tooMack: he just kinda shut down and stopped doing stuff - eating, drinking, sleepingMack: i think he just gave up… stopped talking to everyone, even meMack: i get it thoMa