Admiral Buju stumbled as his ship took fire from the planet. He couldn't believe this planet was this well defended. Reports had said that it was unarmed and would be easy to invade. He looked over at the status reports scrolling across the screens as he turned and sat down in his command chair.
"Order all ship to back out of range of the planet's weapons," Buju ordered. "Contact Central Command and report our situation."
"Sir, I have the commander of the marines on the surface," Comm reported.
Buju glanced over at the screen that displayed the status of the surface forces. It didn't look good, they had lost over half of the forces deployed to the surface. Buju sighed, "Put him through."
"Admiral, this is Captain Kuhas," A deep voice said.
"What's your situation Captain?"
"We lost half the forces during insertion Sir. Right now, we're pinned down outside the capitol. What are your orders?"
"I'm ordering the remaining fleet back out of range of the surface guns. I want you and your remaining men to hold your current position. I'm contacting Command for additional orders."
"Yes, Sir. We'll hold position here until you contact us."
"Captain."
"Yes Sir?"
"Be vigilant, I'll see you soon."
"Yes Sir."
Buju broke the connection and turned his attention back to the ordered retreat. He had lost a quarter of his fleet in the initial attack. Another three ships heavily damaged, labored to get out of the planet's range. Command wouldn't be happy about this.
Grendal Outpost
Command Center
Sanders pushed their captive into a seat that was away from any consoles. Fresh warm air came from the vents, filling the room. Since he had brought the main reactor back online several systems had rebooted and the defensive batteries were online.
Parel squatted in front of the person sitting in the chair as he reached up and removed his helmet. Sanders had already removed his on the way to the Command Center.
Sanders moved over to one of the panels and started reading the information scrolling across the screen. It showed systems coming online and defensive batteries charging up. Everything was green so far as the outpost's systems continued to boot up. The one thing he did was turn off all external lighting and turned on the dampening fields to help mask their presence. With the enemy fighters roving the system the last thing they needed to do was bring attention to themselves.
Parel had back up to where Sanders was standing, "So, what's the situation?"
Without looking up, Sanders replied, "So far all systems are green. A few systems are running at half capacity though. It looks like the outpost has taken damage and caused some minor malfunctions."
"The crash?"
"I doubt it, a few systems might have been affect. But, some of these systems are located in other areas. I would have to say the outpost had been attacked recently."
"The enemy fighters we seen earlier when we arrived?"
"Maybe, might have been something bigger. But, either way the outpost was attacked. I have brought the dampening fields online and turned off all exterior lighting for now."
Parel waved his gun at their captive, "What about our captive?"
Sanders turned around and looked over at the figure sitting on the chair. He knew whomever it was had to be getting low on oxygen. The helmet would have to come off, besides he would like to know whom they were dealing with. "Let's get the helmet off, their air has to be getting low. Then we can decided what to do after that."
Parel nodded, "Ok, I'll cover you."
Sanders stepped up to their captive and reached around behind the helmet. He released the latches located there. Air hissed as the seal broke, he did the same on the front latches and pulled the helmet off slowly. As he raised the helmet off the person in front of him brown hair fell out of the back of it.
Parel gasped once the face of their captive was exposed. A woman no older than 25 sat there staring daggers at both of them. On her cheek she had the tattoo of the third rank Psi-Corp displayed. It was a deep red, letting him know she was very powerful and dangerous.
Her eyes locked on Sanders as her mind lanced out attempting to break through his mental barriers. Sanders knees buckled from the assault on his mind. He couldn't get his bearings as the room started to spin. Sanders felt the woman's crystal blue eyes bore into him as the fire swept his mind. Barriers he had been taught to erect at an early age fell quickly under the mental assault.
Parel felt frozen in time as he watched his half brother groan and fall to his knees as the mysterious woman assaulted him. Parel holstered his weapon and took a step towards the woman. She shifted her gaze to him when he moved. Her probes lanced out seeking to invade his mind.
It was her turn to gasp as she felt emptiness where his mind should have been. Parel grinned as he locked on to her mind and closed it down. The attack was so fast she didn't realize it had happened until it was too late. Parel had swept aside her defenses as if they were nothing more than paper. He had locked her down so fast and hard that her heart had almost stopped and her breathing paused.
Sanders, free from the assault fell back on his ass and grabbed his head. Slowly his mind was resuming control of his body.
"You ok?" Parel asked. He kept his eyes on their captive.
Sanders shook his head to clear it, "Yeah, thanks bro."
Parel reached into his pocket and pulled out a small patch. When he stepped towards the woman, her eyes grew large. Parel slapped the patch on the side of her neck and watched as the drugs took hold.
The drugs flowed into her brain disrupting her mental abilities. Her mind lost it's focus and grew numb. Once Parel knew the drugs were affecting her he released her mind and passed out from the exertion. The last thing the woman seen before she passed out was the black Psi-Corp tattoo that had been covered by Parel's hair.
Keteshed Battle Fleet Four
Jadequas System
Buju paced in his cabin as he waited for the reply from command. Three of his ships were disabled and inoperable. The technicians had told him that it would be possible to get them moving again, but that would be all. They wouldn't be battle ready any time soon and needed a dry dock. Two of his main battleships had taken severe damage but were functional and in the state of being repaired. He had ordered them as the priority and the other three left for last. All crews from the three disabled ships was disbursed among the surviving ships.
What really got his goat was the fact that this system was supposed to be unarmed and defenseless. Intel had been wrong, very wrong and it had cost him valuable personnel and equipment. He had doubled the patrols and ordered all ships to maintain a blockade around the system. If they wouldn't surrender peacefully then he would make life difficult. All inbound ships were to be turned away or seized depending on their allegiance.
He stopped pacing at his window and stared out it at the planet that was giving him so much grief. At times, life was simple and easy. Times such as these made him wish he had never accepted the position of Fleet Commander. Sometimes, being an Admiral had it's perks and others is was a royal pain in the ass. This was one of the former times.
He knew what Command would say when they replied to his communication. Use your best judgment and take actions that you deem appropriate for the situation. They always said that, it resolved them of taking the blame if anything went wrong. The Bureaucrats turned his stomach, politics got in the way of so many things. His former home world had fallen to such a system. Voted out of their own form of government and the right to rule themselves.
Buju turned from the window, walked over to the small cabinet, and grabbed a small bottle. He pulled the top off and took a deep drink of the antacid, almost immediately his stomach stopped rumbling. It always upset his stomach to think about how the government ran itself. This was the reason they were now at war the Zaeous Empire, they refused to buckle and conform to their way of thinking. Since they wouldn't conform, they were a threat and as a threat they had to be put down.
The comm on his desk chimed letting him know he had an incoming message. Buju sighed as he straightened him uniform and turned to face the holo screen on his wall.
"On screen," Buju said.
The screen flickered as the face of an old woman appeared on it. Buju bowed as was customary, "Constable Nerras, you look well."
Constables were the highest rank you could hold if you weren't from a royal line. They sat as the ultimate authority over the sectors they controlled. The could give or take life at whim.
Nerras grinned, "I'm very well thank you Admiral and you?"
"Well, as can be expected Constable."
"Give me your SitRep."
"It's all in the report I sent."
"Yes... yes... I know it's all in your report, but I want to hear it from your mouth with my own ears."
Buju sighed inside, he despised the games the upper brass played, "I have three cruisers that might not make it home. Two Battleships with medium damage, that are under repair now. I lost one light cruiser and one destroyer to enemy fire. I have four platoons, including their ground support, trapped on planet."
Nerras sat back as she listened, "Admiral, I find all this hard to believe. A commerce planet heavily armed and defended."
"I assure you Constable it is very true, I need to know how to proceed."
"What were your initial orders from Command?"
Buju sighed again, this was starting to become his problem and one he was going to be told to solve, "My orders were to force the Jadequas System to surrender or to take it by force."
"Then there is your answer..."
"No, Constable that isn't my answer. The situation has changed and I need to know what Command wants me to do. Why have you answered my communication when it was sent to Command?"
He was tired of playing these games, especially with this crotchety old woman.
Nerras leaned forward, "How dare you speak..."
"Constable," Buju broke in, "I'll speak to you anyway I want. We're at war and I sent a direct communication to Command, not you. You have somehow intercepted the communication, which tells me a few things. You have the ability to hack secured Military Communications and you have no problem interfering with our procedures. While under normal circumstances, you would be the one I contact for orders. This isn't normal procedures, this is a war we're fighting. You interference can cost me valuable time in making choices."
The whole time Buju was speaking Nerras tried to speak and each time he cut her off. He was tired of receiving and thought it was time to deal the pain. This was the one time he was correct in procedures and had this came about any other way he could have been hanged for this transgression.
"Admiral, how do you know I wasn't contacted by Command and ordered to contact you? They're very busy right now, with the war and all."
"Because Constable, your transmission would have had their seal and it would have been on one of the designated channels."
Buju reached down and touched the button to call his communications officer. The screen split and Buju's Comm officer was displayed.
"Yes, Admiral?" the officer said.
"I want you to resend the last transmission to Command on Alpha Priority channel. Send order to the Fojis to proceed to Constabulary located on Maosia and take Constable Nerras into custody and to assume command there."
Nerras' face paled, "You can't do this..."
Buju's face flashed in anger, "I can and I will, this is a time of war and as such I out rank you. What you have done is against the law and you will be punished. You will wait there for the arrival of the Fojis and you will turn yourself over to Captain Meequa when he arrives. I am dispatching an advance fighter squad to your location and if you attempt to leave, you will be fired upon. Do you understand?"
Defeated, Nerras buckled, "Yes Admiral."
"Good now prepare your staff and yourself for the arrival of the Fojis."
Buju cut the connection and relayed his orders to the bridge before he turned and walked to the window. He once again stared out at the planet that was giving him so much trouble. He felt better now that he had vented most of his anger. Maybe things were looking up for him, now if he could just resolve his current problem.
Flash Back
Parel Pilot Training
Parel sat at a small table looking at the mysterious stranger seat across from him and his parents. The man had come to recruit him for something special. From what Parel could gather from the first conversation, he had listened in on. It was type of advanced training for fighter pilots and he had been flagged from a recent doctors visit. Even though the man wore dark shades and Parel couldn't see his eyes, he knew the man was watching him closely.
"I don't know Mr. Hayes, I mean Parel is only eight years old," Parel's mother said. She was holding her sons hand in a tight grip.
"I can understand your concern ma'am, but I assure you it would be in his best interest even if he decided not to become a pilot. He could leave the program anytime he wished and return home."
"Momma, I want to be a fighter pilot..."
"Honey, I know you think that's what you want right now. What about years from now are you sure that's what you will want to be. You're young and flying fighters sounds fun, but you might change your mind..."
"Yes, he could change his mind. As I have said the choice will always be his," The man broke in.
"You will have to give us time to come to a decision on this. This has come up so quickly we haven't really had time to really talk about it," Parel's father said.
"I understand..."
Parel broke in, "Only way I want to go is if my brother can go."
The man turned and smiled, "That shouldn't be a problem, we find that sibling pairs make better combat pilots. If you parents say it's ok consider it done."
The man stood up and shook his fathers hand and left. The rest of the day his parents discussed sending their sons off to this special training camp. Finally Parel's father sat him and Sanders down and discussed the situation with them, well as best you could with two young kids.
Two days later both Parel and Sanders were on a transport headed for a secret training base in the Alpha Hydanis system. Their parents had suddenly changed their minds and allowed them to go. Both boys promised to keep in touch and send reports on how things were going for them. It would be the last time either boy seen their parents or even talked to them.
Two weeks later the boys were staring at a sleek silver fighter. One of their instructors stood with them and started to explain what the fighter was capable of.
"This is one of the new Biotronics space superiority fighters. It is capable of thought processed flight. This ship taps into the mind of the pilot and can anticipate their thoughts, allowing faster reaction times. Her hull is covered with a Andromorphic Steel, capable of repairing hull breeches and resisting damage from energy based weapons. She carries two state of the art shield generators and the latest in weapons technology," the man in Orange said.
"Is this our ship?" Parel asked. His voice betrayed his excitement.
The man smiled, "Yes you will be the only person who can fly this ship. She will become attuned to your mental energies and will not accept any other pilot. You will spend part of everyday connected to her to help her accustom to your mental energies and abilities. She will also accept your brother as a secondary pilot, although he will not have the control over her you will."
"Why?" Sanders asked.
"Because, Parel is a mentalist and one of the strongest we have ever ran across. You have some mental abilities too. But, they're not strong enough to pilot a ship of this class. You'll be taught to control what powers you have and how to protect yourself. You'll even be taught to fly this ship and how to fight in a combat situation incase your brother is out of commission. Your mental powers will never allow you to have as fine of control of her as your brother will."
Sanders' face showed his disappointment, "Oh..."
"Don't fret Sanders your job will be just as important as your brothers. You two will be taught to link and to fly as one. You will be responsible for weapons control and damage control. You will be the one keeping you both alive and well enough to fight."
"See, you're more important than me. Without you I wouldn't be able to fight at all. Besides, you'll always be important to me because you're my brother and I depend on you watching my back."
Grendal Outpost
Command Center
Sanders had moved Parel up onto one of the tables and examined him. Bio-signs were still strong but his mental activity was off the chart. Something was wrong and Sanders had no idea what it was. Sanders turned towards their captive, she was still out. He had changed her block patch to make sure she was disabled.
Sanders walked over to another table and started looking through the holographic display of the outpost. They had to have a medical ward somewhere and he needed some equipment from it. That's when the Lights dimmed as the warning systems detected an inbound ship.
"Great just what we needed," Sanders said. He started shutting down systems, hopefully it wasn't too late to go dark and be missed by scanners.