#2 - Action Code 37 Location#1 XYZ12311 aka Search & Destroy

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#2 - Action Code 37 Location#1 XYZ12311 aka Search & Destroy

Postby vemlich » Sat Aug 16, 2014 5:57 pm

Action Code 37 Location#1 XYZ12311 aka Search and Destroy

Hsik had already been on duty for 9 hours and it had been a long shift watching the tunnel entrance. His limbs aching, Hsik moved his laser rifle from one clawed limb to another. Hsik had been with the Soelien-Twa Marines, or “Runts” as they were known by the humans for a little over four years and made it up the ranks to be Squad Leader of Iron Squad. In all that time he had never been sent on a Search and Destroy mission. He had invaded alien colonies, terraformed worlds suitable to the Soelein-Twa habitat, and even once been dropped in behind enemy lines as a Guerilla Unit. But this was his first Search and Destroy mission.

In the morning brief, the Commander had communicated there was a good chance nothing would be found today but the marine garrison Hsik was stationed with had been given orders. A Royal Egg had gone missing and they were tasked with finding and destroying it.

Royal Eggs were a kind of insurance policy for the Twa. As long as the Queen remained healthy and popular there was no real need for the eggs and she would consume them before they hatched. However, if the Queen was dying a Royal Egg would be allowed to hatch spawning a new queen. The new queen would take her name and her throne upon the old queen’s death. On rare occasions a queen might be so unpopular that one or more of the Nursery Caste spirited away a Royal Egg to hatch a new queen. That is what had happened this time. If that egg hatched with a healthy queen still in power it would split the Twa race and plunge them into civil war.

It was a little ironic Hsik thought that the reason Queen Soel had been losing popularity was due to her alliances with the humans and other space faring races friendly to the TWA. But, it would be a human Smuggling Center used to get the Royal Egg off world. Although the exact location of the Smuggling Center was unknown, Hsik’s squad had been placed in positions to observe the tunnels most likely to lead to the smuggler’s location.

“Hsik… Gather… Others… Come… Sector… Seven…” The Commander’s telepathic message imprinted on Hsik’s consciousness. Twa telepathy, at least among drones, was quite rudimentary. The majority of their communication was done with limb and antennae gestures. But not having to use radio waves like some of the other races the TWA have encountered meant their communications could not be intercepted. Hsik gathered the rest of his squad and they moved off towards the location the Commander had directed them to.

—–

When Hsik’s squad arrived at the Commander’s location the other two squads had already arrived. The Squad Leaders from Gold and Bauxite Squads were already getting their orders. Hsik could read the Commander’s gestures as he approached. “Iron and Gold – Frontal Assault. Bauxite Sweep Rear.” Hsik wondered if the Commander knew any other orders. His squad always seemed to be doing Frontal Assaults. At least the other Runts in his squad would know what they were doing. There were a lot of new drones in the Marines these days. The Empire of the Soelien-Twa had been going through a bit of a rapid expansion through the Galaxy recently and was almost as large as it had been before the Naplians invaded, and then the subsequent Cybernetic Decimation. Hsik had let his mind wander and only picked up the last of the Commander’s gestures “…the Egg has hatched.”

This was going to make things a lot more difficult Hsik thought to himself. Whereas most newborns or hatchlings of other races were fairly defenceless a new Twa Queen was born with the genetic memory imprinted from all the Queens that had come before her. Also, although physically she might not be as large as an adult queen, a royal hatchling’s telepathy was fully developed in just a few hours.

This was a time where the Commander’s tendency towards Frontal Assaults might come in useful. The longer the new Queen remained alive the more drones she would bring over to her cause. Hsik had enjoyed being a Guerilla Unit on an alien planet but he did not relish fighting Runts from his own world.

—–

It did not take long to zero in on the Smuggling Center and the new Queen. Her thoughts were going out to all Twa commanding them to join her. She identified herself as Queen Mael and her followers the Maelien-Twa. Hsik could see the conflict going on in the minds of the other members of Iron Squad as they fought against their instincts. He wondered if any of them would go over to the new Queen. Most at risk were the new drones, the ones that had not had Queen Soel’s consciousness imprinted on them before. Hsik decided they should lead the charge. It would be harder for them to change loyalties if the new Queen’s guerillas were firing at them.

Hsik looked at the abandoned warehouse the smugglers had been using. Earthwork barricades had been erected in front of the doors and armed Twa could be seen in firing positions at the windows. Hsik looked at his Runts and found their entire attention was on him. He briefly went over the plan and then gave the gesture they had been waiting for… “Attack.”

—–

Soelien-Twa marines were soon rushing down a small embankment, straight into the enemy lines, the firefight was soon a melee, and did not last long. The Maelien-Twa Guerillas were determined but they didn’t have the experience, the weapons, or the bioengineered armour that the Runts had. It had been a wise move Hsik thought, putting the new drones in the first wave. Not a single Runt from Iron Squad had switched sides. In fact there was not a single casualty in Iron Squad. The other two squads did not fare so well. Both had taken heavy casualties when some of their newest drones turned on them. Their squad leaders did not have the same foresight Hsik had and had not led their attacks with the new Runts.

Hsik stood surveying the ruins of the human Smuggling Center ship and the bodies surrounding it. The human smugglers had stood and died with the Maelien-Twa Guerillas at the end. The smugglers knew if they were caught that there was only one penalty for smuggling on Twa worlds… death… and every one of them had found it. The largest concentration of bodies was around one small form, barely bigger that Hsik’s torso. The Maelien-Twa Guerillas may not have been Runts but they died protecting their Queen.

“Hsik… Report” the Commander’s consciousness cut through Hsik’s thoughts.

Hsik composed himself and thought about what he was going to communicate. Any Guerillas that got away would rejoin the Soelien-Twa. Their rebellion would not be held against them. It was in their DNA to join a new Queen. It was the way of the Twa. He reached out with his mind, identifying and passing over other Twa in the area. It did not take long to find the Commander’s consciousness, “Queen… Mael… Dead… Smuggling… Center… Destroyed… Mission… Accomplished.”

-The End-
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