Resurgence - Cataclysm Chapter 27

Rasalhague, Allied Fleets above New Avalon

2/8/3153

1000

Rulia Vong of Clan Ghost Bear stands on the bridge of the Rasalhague just as she does every day ensuring the fleet formation’s integrity. The departure of the Capellan Chancellor and a large number ships provided a challenge as Vong had to stretch defenses and fields of fire. At least the Aliesha Kris remains.

She looks closely at the holotable and considers the allied formation. The Rasalhague is dead center of the formation, the “peak” of it, directly above Avalon City, the Palace, and the allied LZ with the Bonaventure II slightly North. Below the Leviathan II are the pair of Yardships, Harmonia and Necessitas. Still undergoing repairs, the Necessitas isn’t going anywhere. To the South is the Black Vector, capable of responding quickly to a threat over Rostock, Carlisle, and Cadbury. To the East is the Aliesha Kris, primarily covering Ith and Achernar Battlemechs where the new major player Pei-Ling Liao-Davion-Cameron is hanging out. Finally, the Snow Raven Naval Star is slightly West over Albion but capable of redeploying.

Called the “Mountain Formation” it allows a ship as big as the Rasalhague to take initial fire so the rest can adjust as needed and support. It also keeps the Yardships from being in the front line or cut off on a flank. The volume of support materials those two ships have provided, including entire Battlemechs has been staggering.

I think we will be set against anything those bastards throw at us.

“Star Colonel! We are receiving a message from the Jump point, another corridor formation is moving this direction from Rimward!” shouts a crewman from communications.

That Jumpship alert system was more effective than I thought it would be. She hits the open communications channel, “All allied forces, this is Star Colonel Rulia Vong of the Rasalhague, we have received an alert from one of our jumpships that a new corridor formation has been spotted closing in from Rimward. All naval craft move to threat level imminent. Rulia Vong, out.”

Switching over to the channel to reach the AFFS command a small flash catches her eye. “Bridge, what was that?”

“Negative on object, Star Colonel, deploying a star of fighters to investigate.” One voice calls out.

She continues to watch intensely, trying to spot anything at all.

“Rasalhague, this is Talon One, moving out to coordinates.”

The ten aerospace fighters are spaced out, actively observing for anything out of the ordinary. Reaching about thirty meters from the location to investigate there is a somewhat purple, glowing circle. Hitting reverse thrusters, the fighters slow to a standstill. “What the hell is that?” Talon One asks aloud.

“This is Star Colonel Rulia Vong, what are you seeing?”

“Star Colonel, this looks like the ‘slip tear’ thing we used to get to New Avalon but, it is… a meter across? If that?”

“Can you see anything through it Talon One?”

“Negative Star Colonel but it does appear metallic on the other side. I wonder…” he is cut off as a small black object blurs past him. “Surat!” he shouts as he goes maximum throttle and flips around.

The rest of the star follows his lead and flips. Then the purple circle vanishes.

“What is going on?!” Rulia Vong shouts as she runs to the ferroglass of the Rasalhague bridge.

“Star Colonel, an object no bigger than my fighter just blew by me, though it is extremely fast. I am gaining on it slowly. Multiple G’s and counting!”

“Catch up to that thing and shoot it down! It is going to impact somewhere near Avalon City!” Rulia Vong shouts as her holotable is showing the estimated trajectory.

Boom… Boom… “I cannot get lock with my SRMs, the LBX rounds didn’t do anything to it but cause some sparks. Wait… What is…”

Like an insect the outer shell of the long, thin object ejects and multiple long pieces of metal fly backwards. “Heads up Talons!” he rolls his Visigoth multiple times before pulling back on the object’s tail, then he realizes two of his wingmen were taken out by the pieces of metal. “Dezgra! Wait, it is speeding up Star Colonel!”

He watches hopelessly as he is following the object’s trail at near maximum velocity through the atmosphere as it starts to pull away. The now thinner object is changing course ever so slightly. “No!”

“What is it Talon One?!” shouts Rulia Vong, “I just alerted the AFFS Command to watch for your craft!”

“Talons, pull off, that is an order!” Talon One calls out, his star changes direction. He hits a few switches and disengages safeties to override the fusion engine limitations. A sudden boost in power and he begins accelerating, he can hear the fusion engine raging in the belly of his fighter as the kilometers go by the second.

Closer and closer to the ground he gets… The Palace! Directly ahead of him the object is aiming right for the front door of the structure, he slowly is passing it. He can see the tip of it just above his canopy, a blue hue due to the G’s he is pulling.

“Star Colonel, I cannot shoot it down! We are on a direct path to the Palace! Not today Blake!” He roars as loud as he can and pulls up into the object.

It slices through his canopy, goes through his body, detonates the fighter, but continues falling but, now wobbling.

Rulia Vong is tracking it from the Rasalhague after seeing her warrior sacrifice himself. It is wobbling off course! “You will be honored Talon One.” Rulia states as the remains of his fighter fall toward the planet. “Comms, make sure the Palace is evacuating and update them with the new trajectory!”

***

Davion Palace, New Avalon

2/8/3153

1010

News helicopters are already circling the Palace Grounds to show the destruction. Off to the Southeast of the Palace is an impact site where the Ghost Bear pilot’s fighter hit the ground. But, the Palace where the object hit is devastated. Had it hit its original point of impact the Palace and all underground facilities would have collapsed.

However, the warrior’s sacrificial act caused it to strike the Southwest side of the Palace. But even then, it punched into the ground and shattered windows all over the structure. The focus of the helicopters is that the throne room is collapsed.

***

Hoarsely coughing Siobhan crawls out from under her desk. She covers her mouth with her shirt as she looks through the dust hanging in the air. It is almost impossible to see with the flickering lights. She can hear screaming, crying, and muttering out in the hall.

In the Executive offices and corridors beneath the Palace there is a lot of rubble that has fallen from the ceilings. She walks her way to her office hatch and hits the button to open it. One side groans as it slides open, the other doesn’t even respond.

She looks at her assistant’s desk to the left and there is a pile of rubble. Underneath it a purple, swollen leg with a heeled shoe on it sticks out. She feels sorry for the young woman for a moment before moving on, “Sebastien!” she shouts, followed by a lot of coughing. She receives no response.

“Erik!” she tries this time.

“Siobhan! Right here!” She can barely see an arm waving through the flickering light and smoke.

She gets to the arm and sees Erik is sitting on the floor, his left arm buried in some rubble. “Siobhan, I can’t feel anything and this rubble isn’t budging. Find the First Prince, I’ll survive this.” He says as he shoves another piece of rubble away from what remains of his left arm.

“Hold tight Erik, I will get security to you.” She says while giving him a squeeze on his right shoulder. Continuing down the corridor she is looking for the stairs to the ground level. Julian, you better have a plan to… Julian, you better be down here and NOT up there. Every second that ticks by she starts to imagine the worst.

Where are the damn stairs? She is looking around piles of collapsed ceiling. She reaches the First Prince’s office. “Julian, are you in here?!” She looks around and the office is fairly intact due to the superior building materials use for the highest office but, no First Prince. Dammit… Dammit… Dammit…

She turns and approaches the elevator, just for good measure, she presses the button. The door opens but there is no car. Turning to look for the stairs around the corner she can hear a bunch of screeching as the elevator is sliding down the cables sparking the whole way to the bottom in freefall, leading with a loud crash. It flies past her, giving her a start.

After jumping from the sound, she passes a few more injured Palace personnel and finds the stairwell. Walking up the steps is fairly tedious as rubble is still falling down them. She works her way to the ground level and where an exterior wall once stood, she can see the forest outside. Turning, she proceeds down the corridor to the throne room. It’s the next place he would be at this hour!

Where are the walls?! None of this looks right! Where is the throne room roof?! Faster and faster she moves, ignoring pain in her legs. She passes by bodies, rubble, and injured staff to the top of the stairs that lead to the throne room. There is no ceiling anymore. Where the long, carpeted walkway surrounded by pristine stone flooring once was now is a huge layer of rubble. “NOO!!” she shrieks, tears streaming down her face, the dust causing long streaks.

Feeling nothing in her panic she starts climbing over the rubble toward the far wall that is still standing, what is just behind the throne seating area. The huge glass emblem of the Federated Suns is entirely gone with the yellow shards all over the ground. Her arms and legs get scratched and nicked as he moves through the rubble. No, you can’t be! Not like this!

Her hands start bleeding from all the rough edges. Rips and tears slash all over her uniform. One of her heels snaps off her shoe. Reaching the end of the room the throne is nowhere in sight. “Julian!” she shouts. No answer, “Julian!” she tries again, panic in her voice.

She stays quiet to listen for anything and hears a hoarse whisper, “Shiv…” She zeroes in on it like it is the only sound in the world. Climbing down the rubble she can see a hand opening and closing, “Julian!” she shouts again as she starts pulling away at the pile over the hand’s arm. Her own blood is left in handprints all over the pieces she grabs at as tears stream down her face. She flings them away and begins uncovering the First Prince.

Finally, she sees some hair but, it is soaked in blood. No! Pulling and pulling she reveals his face and he starts to cough uncontrollably with somewhat fresh air reaching him. She grasps his hand and runs her fingers through his hair. “Julian, you need to stay with me, you are priority number 1.”

“Sio… Siobhan…” he mumbles, then turns his head towards her. She can see the left side of his skull is severely concaved, his right eye alone looking at her. Gasping, she starts to weep and puts her head on his shoulder.

“Lu… Love… I… love… you…” he gets out as he struggles to breathe.

“We love you too, Julian. Me and your baby! You have to pull through; you are the First Prince! My love! A Father!” she is lightening her voice, trying to sound encouraging and hopeful. “We get to raise our baby together! I was going to surprise you later this week!”

Julian smiles at the news with a twitching of the right side of his mouth and she can see him shed a tear from his right eye. A loud sound a few meters away startles them, “First Prince!” a man shouts with a loud, bellowing voice.

“Here!” Siobhan yells, recognizing it. She looks back down at Julian, “Hun, they are just a couple meters away, just stay with me, you are going to push through this.”

“Do not do it!” the man’s thunderous voice echoes through the rubble and dust. A shadow passes over Siobhan as a very large man in combat boots, cammies, and a muscle shirt lands. “Julian, you are not saving me and then pulling this spheroid crap!” shouts Lars Magnusson who is bleeding on multiple limbs, he even has a bone sticking out of his torso.

“You bastards get over here now!” He shouts as he starts heaving chunks of rubble from the First Prince’s body that is far heavier than what Siobhan could have lifted. As the pieces go flying his own bloody handprints are left on them.

Siobhan continues to comfort Julian as he gasps for air and Lars continues to tear at the rubble pile. He gets Julian uncovered except for his feet, then the rubble beyond his feet shifts toward Julian. “Surat!” Lars shouts as he jumps forward, slamming his shoulder into the rubble, holding up hundreds, possibly beyond a thousand pounds of weight from collapsing.

Three medics finally scale the rubble and get to Julian, “Ma’am move!” one of the medics shouts. She slides towards Julian’s legs, still holding his hand. He is still firmly gripping her own.

“Lars, he is still here! He can make it!” she looks up to him as he is grimacing through the weight.

“He better… I am not letting him die from a dezgra attack like this!”

“Let’s move him,” one of the medics say, “if that rubble collapses on him, he is dead.” The group of three look him over, “It’s only the prosthetic that is stuck under the rubble!” the medic shouts as he hovers over the First Prince and tears Julian’s pantleg open. He disconnects the prosthetic where it attaches to his leg.

Sliding him away from the rubble, Siobhan crouch walks with them, still holding Julian’s hand. “Lars, you can release it!” she calls to him from a couple meters away. Looking back to Julian’s face they now have his head covered in equipment, sealing him in with fresh air, his right eye still locking on to her. One of the medics steps away and calls in a waiting VTOL. The sound of collapsing rubble comes from behind her as Lars approaches and stands in such a way to shade her and Julian.

“Ma’am, you need to move now, we have to get him in the bird, meet us at Mount Davion.” One of the medics gently but, urgently guides her toward Lars. Releasing Julian’s hand, it goes limp and just hangs there. She turns toward Lars and begins crying into his sweat and blood-soaked shirt. His massive arms wrap around her as it is all he knows to do in such a situation.

Lars guides Siobhan away from the area as the VTOL moves in above, the wind from the rotors kicks up clouds of dust and sends smaller pieces of rubble in all directions. He watches the VTOL lift the First Prince into the air, then raise him to the cabin. The VTOL begins to change direction and heads straight to Mount Davion.

“Siobhan, I will escort you to Mount Davion,” Lars says, trying to give some space between them but, she feels limp. By Kerensky… he thinks as he realizes that he now has to ensure her safety, she may now be in command of the Federated Suns.

Some rumbling happens off toward where the former entrance to the throne room was as a point of Ghost Bear Wraith Battle Armor Troopers are climbing through the rubble to reach him and make sure he is alive. They see him holding the AFFS XO. “You five, get me transportation to Mount Davion right now!”

“Aff!” the brutish voices respond in unison.

Lars scoops up Siobhan in his arms and begins scaling the rubble. He can see that three of the troopers are carrying a small hovercar and run through a hole in a courtyard wall that collapsed after the impact. “Galaxy Commander, with us!” One of the other troopers shouts. The Wraith trooper turns his back as Lars climbs onto it, pressing Siobhan between himself and the armor. Sliding down a mound of rubble the three of them land and Lars carries her to the car.

He sits Siobhan next to him. She is quivering in shocked panic. “Hold it together Siobhan, we are going to see him right now.” Lars punches it and the car shoots off through the open field toward the entry point of the VTOL at Mount Davion, followed by the bounding troopers that are his personal guard.

***

Rasalhague, Above New Avalon

2/8/3153

1030

Rulia Vong is watching the camera feed of the Palace in horror at the dezgra atrocity. There is silence across the Rasalhague in this moment of mourning. The news anchor says that someone was evacuated directly from the throne room to Mount Davion.

“Star Colonel, this is not over yet!” shouts a crewman.

“These dezgra bastards will have hell to pay!” Vong shouts in rage.

“About one hundred kilometers out we have multiple vessels arriving via a slip tear. Count of three, no, FOUR Swordships and six Warships, Star Colonel!”

Rulia Vong lowers her brow with the snarling rage of a Ghost Bear. “If they want to bring that many to die, the Ghost Bears will oblige them!”

Chapter 3: Sabanillas

Chapter 5: Small Details

Resurgence Main Page