Anthony Harris had worked the night shift before but that didn't make it any easier. A 12-year veteran of the Liberty Police, Harris still dreaded those long nights working security for Cryer Pharmaceutical.
It had been the usual uneventful evening; he had just relieved Officer Belk at the main security desk and sitting down when he got a call over the radio from Officer Johnson at the main gate of the complex.
"Johnson to main desk" the radio squawked,
"Go ahead." Harris replied as he changed his monitor over to the main gate video feed which showed Johnson in the guard house and a figure standing just outside the light making them hard to see, though Harris could tell the person had on a hat, long coat, and was carrying a large bag.
"I got a civilian down here requesting entrance inside, he said he's got an appointment but we don't have anyone scheduled for an appointment tonight and nobody is here for him to see."
"Yeah I don't see anything here either," Harris finally said after he double checked the schedule and confirmed Johnson's information. "Hes probably another drunk trying to get in to steal something. Send him on his way."
"Aye aye." Johnson replied. Harris watched the monitor as Johnson stepped out of the guardhouse and started telling the person to leave. The figure sat down the large bag slowly which Harris could tell put Johnson on his guard as he put his hand on his sidearm. Seemingly in an instant the figure dashed at Johnson and grabbed him by the throat, lifted him into the air, and slammed his head into the stonewall of the guardhouse. Harris sat there shocked, not believing what he just saw. It was a few moments before he came to his senses and went to sound the alarm and call for back up. He hit the alarm but nothing happened. He scrambled for the radio to call the other two guards. All stations, security breach at main gate. Officer down, use caution.
Harris turned back to the monitor to track the intruders progress. The intruder bent over Johnsons body briefly and then stepped into the guard shack.
Heeellllooooooooo, came a voice over Johnsons radio, Its party time, P-A-R-T-Y? cause I gotta!!
Harris watched as the figure walked toward the facility, he knew it was only a matter of moments before the other two guards, Thompson and Richards, reached the front door. He switched the monitor view to the front door camera just as the figure jumped to the side and squeezed in close to the wall beside the door a few moments before it opened as if he knew that someone was coming. Harris tried to radio the others and warn them of the imminent ambush but he only got as far as taking a breath before he heard the familiar humming sound of a jammed signal. Harriss heart raced; there was no way for him to warn them. He watched in horror as the intruder gunned down his fellow police officers from behind in a blink of an eye with what looked like Johnsons side arm.
No! Harris yelled at the monitor. He slumped back into his chair and stared in disbelief and what was happening. What could possibly be happening? Why would someone do something like this?
Seeing the intruder enter the facility snapped Harris back into reality. He had to call for backup; he switched his radio over to the emergency channel and once again heard nothing but the humming of it too being jammed. Argh! he shouted as he slammed his fist down into his desk in frustration. He knew it was up to him to deal with this intruder, despite his years of training and experience hed never had to deal with anything like this before but nonetheless it was his responsibility. He ran over to the weapons locker and got out a MR-56 rifle, figuring he could take down his enemy at range before he had a chance to react. He jumped at the sound of a voice coming over his radio.
The computer tells me your name is Anthony Harris, the voice said, been with the police a long time huh Tony? So I reckon right about now your arming yourself and preparing to come after me all by your lonesome right? Well hurry up and come on down here I cant wait around forever.
Harris just stood and stared at the radio, who is this person? How could they know so much so quickly? Harris shook his head to clear it of all the questions swirling in his mind; they would only prove a hindrance in his current predicament. He went back to the monitor to find where this madman was. He cycled through the many video cameras set around the complex until he finally found him walking around inside one of the labs. Got ya! he said triumphantly. He ran as fast as he could, his enemy was in the perfect spot for him to set up an ambush of his on because the lab he saw him in only had one exit and Harris knew exactly where he should be. He ran on trying to be as stealthy as possible as he was approaching the spot he was going to set up.
From a recessed doorway about 20 feet from his intended ambush spot something came out at Harris and before he could react he was shoved into the opposite wall. He hit hard but as luck would have it he didnt drop his weapon. Harris swung his rifle around, aimed, and pulled the trigger, nothing.
Awwww, the shadowy figure said, this just isnt your day is it.
Harris pulled the trigger again, still nothing. He was speechless but he didnt have time to try to reason out the problem with the weapon because he noticed the intruder was approaching him. Out of pure instinct he swung the rifle up and shoved the stock of it into the intruders face. It was a solid hit and at first Harris expected the man to fall immediately but to his dismay the blow just turned the mans head and knocked off his hat. The intruder turned his head slowly as a smile slowly appeared across his facethat face, Harris recognized itfrom the most wanted reports he received monthly from H.Q. MonStar the Red, standing right in front of him. Harris just stood dumbfounded.
Not a bad shot Tony, MonStar said with a slight chuckle, not its my turn.
Before Harris could react MonStar swung his left arm into a backhanded uppercut and nearly snapped Harriss neck and took him completely off his feet and ended with him landing flat on his back.
His head was swirling, he was on the brink of passing out but he couldnt he had to do something. But what he knew he was in a bad situation. He managed to push out a strained question. What do you want?
Oh, well Tony you see its quite simple actually. You see Cryer is in the business of making people healthy as Im sure you know and as far as I see it, good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die. So, Im here to speed things up a bit.
Harris was starting the come out of his dizziness and raised up on his elbows only to be pushed down and held there by what felt like a pneumatic press on his chest.
Hold on there Tony, Im not done explaining quite yet. MonStar said with a hint of amusement in his voice, You see the big crazy right now is Cryers new vitamin supplement that is advertised to increase the quality and longevity of life. with that MonStar spit on the ground in disgust. All of this is thanks to a little chemical known as TYC31. Well I found out if you were to exchange the TYC31 with an equal portion of a chemical used in most of Cryers everyday over the counter topical pain reliever, then well the miracle drug then become a very potent slow release poison which once taken usually will kill the subject in around 48 hours.
Harris was shocked by this and struggled to get up now having mostly recovered from the earlier uppercut. This only made the pressure increase causing an uncontrolled and muffled moan from Harris.
Whoa there big man. MonStar said in a mocking tone, Now then all that is left is to taint the majority of the batches cooking in the labs over here, make sure Im recorded stealing various narcotics from the storage lockers to act as a cover for my main purpose here, and plant them along with this coat and hat i'm wearing on a corpse I have waiting a little ways from here. Itll all be chalked up as a horrible robbery gone bad and with result of the whole thing being an overdose in an alley less than a mile from the crime scene. All the while the company resumes its normal business and sends out its newest batch of dietary supplements all across Siris not knowing that theyll be killing a very large number of people, tragic isnt it?
With a chuckle, MonStar released his grip and started walking back to the Lab. Harris, thinking the madman was distracted somehow, tried reaching for his rifle that lay not too far way and just before he reached it MonStar spun around.
Oh yes I almost forgot, for this whole plan to work, In a flash MonStar had Johnsons side arm out and aimed at Harris, I cant have any witnesses
Harris saw a flash and felt the blast hit him in the chest. He couldnt breath, all he could think was No, not me.nonot me. His vision narrowed and the darkness came in.
The last thing Anthony Harris knew was the sound of the maniacal laughter of his killer slowly fading away, little by little, until there was only silence.
Todays top story; The number of casualties all across Sirius continues to grow today from what people are calling "The Darkness", refering to the darkening of the skin caused by the ailment. The death toll is said to be around 6 million so far with more showing the early signs of the illness everyday.
There is a hope though as medical experts think they may have found a possible cause for the ailment. Dr. Timothy Howard of the Bretonian Health Dept. said that his team found that the victims had a common denominator amongst them. The victims were found to all be using the vitamin suppliment called "Refresh", which has become very popular over the last year and if these findings are true it would explain how The Darkness spread so quickly and over such a wide area of space.
A spokesman from Cryer Pharmaceuticals told us that production of Refresh has been halted until they can complete their testing to see if it was in fact the cause of such a horrible disaster. The spokesman went on to say that their research facility on planet Denver had been broken into last week but they had ruled it out as an unfortunate narcotic theft gone wrong and said that the investigation would be reopened to see if there were any connections between it and the spread of The Darkness.We latter found out that planet Denver is the biggest manufacturer of Refresh the compnay has, which adds even more credit to Dr. Howards findings.
I think it's safe to say that until the investigations into the cause of The Darkness are found that all use of the Cryer product Refresh should be halted until it has or hasn't been ruled out as a possible cause of such a wide spread plague.
Stayed tuned to this station for the latest breaking news........
"Ms. Blane will see you now." came a female voice from a door on the opposite side of the room. The comment was directed toward the only person waiting in the little waiting room located in the back of the executive wing on the station. The person was man, seemingly out of place due to his attire. He was dressed in the kind of clothing you would find on a patron of a bar in the border worlds which included numerous weapons strewn across his person, some visible and likely some hidden. The man nodded and stood up to follow the young assistant. After a brief walk he was led into a large office occupied by a few sofa's and a slightly raised platform on which a large executive style desk was located accompanied by a high backed leather chair that was currently facing away from him giving the occupant of the chair a good view of the space outside via a large window. He was ushered into the center of the room upon which the young assistant quickly exited the room and quietly closed the door behind her.
"Welcome Gideon Grey," Ms. Blane said as she slowly spun around in her chair. "I am Vivian Blane, C.E.O. of Cryer Phamaceuticals, it's a pleasure to make your acquantaince". She was a middle aged woman but from her appearance she didn't look any older than her mid twenties but her eyes showed the experience of many years.
"The pleasure is all mine madam." Gideon said with a modest bow.
"Due to my busy schedule i am forced to skip the rest of the pleasantries and get straight to the reason i called you here." she took on a serious look now and flipped open a folder in front of her. "I have heard tales of the mercenary group you run, Grey's Gunner's is it?"
"Yes." Gideon replied
"A man of few words, i like it." Vivian said as a small grin came across her face still looking at the folder in front of her occasionally flipping a page."Your group has a reputation for getting things done, you come highly recommended. Rumor has it you've never failed to fullfill a contract?"
"That is correct, and it will stay that way if i have anything to say about it." Gideon spoke confidently knowing that he had some manner of respect from the Woman in front of him.
"Excellent," Vivian Blane went on. "I have need of your services and before i tell you any of the details i would of course need your word that what you hear will remain confidential even if you do not take the job, which given the money Cryer is willing to pay you i highly doubt you'll refuse."
"This is a common request maam, and we always protect the interest of our clients" A small grin shown on his face now at the mention of the payout from this as yet unrevealed job.
"Good, i assume you have heard of this so called "Darkness" plague that has recently fallen over all of Sirius?" she paused and looked up for a response.
"Yes maam, i'm not sure of anyone who hasn't." Gideon said shaking his head.
"Well then i'm sure you have heard that the finger of blame is being pointed at Cryer for all of this, which is both false and true to some extent." She looked up at Gideon now, making direct eye contact to convey the seriousness of the her words "We launched an investigation into all possibilties of how this could have happened. One after another the various theories were ruled out and it came down to only one. A few weeks ago there was a break in at our facility on planet Denver. Originally it was ruled to be an unfortunate result of a desperate drug addicted man whose body was found a small distance from the actual scene. Although there were gaps in survelance footage of the night in question, it was ruled as being a fluke malfunction and had no relation to the break in and the case was closed. Upon reopening the case we reinvestigated digital feeds and had experts breakdown the coding. Burried deep in the source code they found a small hidden file that would've been overlooked by anyone else who didn't know the program inside and out. The file was a simple video set on a loop." she reached over and pushed a button to her side. A large monitor on the wall came to life. The video Vivian Blane spoke of starting playing, it was short and only consisting of a man infront of a Cryer Pharmeceutical Sign laughing wildly. As Gideon watched the video over and over as it looped, he studied the man's appearance. Red hair, metallic arm, and a glowing eye surrounded by star shaped scar.
"Mon'Star." Gideon Grey said finally.
"Oh so you know this madman?" She said curiously
"No, i know of him." he said turning away from the screen and facing Vivian Blane again. "His reputation is growing as a high level trouble maker. i knew it was only a matter of time before someone wanted him taken out. i assume that's what you want from me and my crew?"
"Yes something like that. Cryer will undoubtably be found to be the true source of this plague and could prove disastrous for the future of the company," she finally closed the folder and crossed her fingers in front of her. "so i need you and your Gunners to track this maniac down and bring him to us, dead or alive. His body and the video you've just seen should be enough to save the company for finacial ruin."
"Forgive me but wouldn't the video itself be enough to switch the blame away from Cryer?" Gideon said
"With the whole future of Cryer being on the line i felt it was necessary to take any chances. Also, having this Mon'Star's body would further prove that Cyer cares about the wellfare of it's customers and is willing to do what it takes to secure that safety. So, knowing what you now know. is this something you would be interested in?" she seemed to be on the edge of her seat as if she was hoping for a satisfying answer.
"Yes Maam, we will track this man down and bring him to you dead or alive." As he spoke he noticed a hint of relief from Vivian Blane and he knew that she was hoping for that answer.
"Very good," she said with a big smile on her face, "to get you started i will transfer 8 million credits into your neural net. Upon completion of the contract i will pay you an additional 12 million credits. Is this suffecient Mr. Grey?"
"It is." he said with a slight nod.
"Very well, "she said as she pushed another button on her desk which immediately brought in her young assistant who stood waiting at the door. "We plan on revealing our findings to the public in 6 weeks. I'd like to have him brought to us before that so we can prepare the proper presentation to all of Sirius."
"As you wish madam." he gave a slight bow and turned to follow the assistant out. As he walked he thought of the amount they were willing to pay for the capture of one man. If the reputation of this Mon'Star held any truth the Gunners may have their work cut out for them. Numerous bounty hunters have tried to claim the bounty on him and all have failed. Grey's Gunners were no mere bounty hunters though, they had ended wars, rescued hostiges, and done the occasional black ops into Unknown space.
Once Gideon was in space he opened his communications screen.."Fox."
"Yes sir!" a female voice responded
"Assemble the fleet, we've got work to do" with that he hit the thrusters on his gunboat and headed for the Trade Lane
A gathering of ships had assembled around an old Bretonian battleship, formerly known as the B.A.F. Redcar. Renamed the "Iron Heart", it was the mobile base for the infamous group of merc's known as "Grey's Gunner's". The gathering was a typical practice for the Gunner's whenever a new contract had been obtained and so the landing of fighters and mooring of gunboats seemed to be a well practiced routine.
Onboard the Iron Heart the mood was light and consisted of friendly banter between long time friends, most of them were telling stories of events that happened while between contracts. It had been about three weeks since they had seen each other. The Gunners popularity had been growing steadily and so they had been become increasingly busier. Silence came immediately when the announcement whistle sounded meaning there was a forthcoming message from the bridge. "All personnel scheduled for mission briefing report to conference room at this time, thank you." With that the crew resumed their conversations as they started making their way to the conference room. The conference room filled up quickly. As they entered, the talking between old friends dwindled as they took their seats.
Each occupant stood immediately as their leader, Gideon Grey, entered and walked straight to the a slightly raised platform at the front of the room where there stood a podium in front of a wall lined with viewing monitors.
"Welcome back guys and gals, I hope everyones leave was a pleasant one?" Gideon said as he surveyed the room.
"Yes sir!" came an enthusiastic yet unsynchronized response from the group.
"Good to hear," he said with a smile, "unfortunately it's time to get back to work. We have a new contract and it's on somewhat of a short time table. I had a meeting with Vivian Blane, C.E.O. of Cryer Pharmaceuticals. During the meeting she disclosed to me Cryer's findings on the highly publicized plague known as "The Darkness"." with that Gideon nodded off to the side, which prompted a chart to be shown on the monitors behind him. The chart showed the rate at which the Darkness had spread and the number of casualties. "I have heard of some of your families being affected and I am truly sorry for your loss." that comment was apparently directed to one of the women in the audience who was shedding tears and receiving some comforting pats from those around her. With a short pause of respect Gideon continued. "Aside from the sizable payout on this contract, it will also allow some level of revenge on the person responsible for the deaths of so many innocents." this brought on murmuring and nodding of heads from the crowd which was immediately followed by a growing "shhh". Once the silence was regained Gideon Grey continued. "Upon an in-depth investigation Cryer found that during a break-in at there Denver facilities, which was before thought to be a junkie looking for their next fix, there was this video embedded deep in some of the coding for the security network." immediately the video started on the wall monitors, in it there stood a man in front of a Cryer Pharmaceuticals logo laughing maniacally. "For those of you who don't recognize him, this is the infamous terrorist Mon'Star. This maniac is responsible for a growing number of random acts of violence all across Sirius. Unlike other terrorist this one has yet to reveal any motive or pattern to his madness. I have asked our intel. group to find out everything possible on Mon'Star, so Ill turn it over to them at this point. Markus your up." Gideon walked off the stage and took the now vacant seat of Markus Silva head of the Gunner's intel group.
"Thank you sir," he said as he reached the podium. Before he spoke he motioned to the side and pictures started cycling on the monitors, "Do to the time restraints on this contract my report will be brief, but you'll all recieve my report into your neural net. The past of this one is cloudy and fraught with dead ends. The station that contained most of the information on this secret operation was destroyed during Mon'Star's apparent escape but we were able to discover a few things about him using our extensive list of contacts. Mon'Star was originally an Outcast pilot and during a battle between his fighter wing and a group of bounty hunters Mon'Star was captured and sold to a scientific group in Liberty. This group apparently was commissioned by Liberty to develop a form of super soldier to combat the growing number of mutants and otherwise altered pirate clans that were slowly gaining an advantage over their "natural" navy, police, and L.S.F. pilots. He was firstly given to the biological dept. where they used a process on Mon'Star resulting in curing him from the typical Outcast dependency on cardimine. There is a growing consensus that thinks that while he was cured from the dependency the process also supplied him with a heaping dose of insanity. Some witnesses make mention of his seemingly heightened reflexes and strength, also make a note that there is a chance that regenerative treatments were used since these soldiers would need to be durable to help offset the cost of manufacturing such a costly weapon. At some point he was given over to cybernetics division and was fitted with at least two implants, a cybernetic arm and eye. The extent of the properties of these implants is unknown and it is likely that he was fitted with more. We found some Kusari distress calls that mentioned something about a loss of control in various equipment including flight controls. This means that there is a chance that Mon'Star can remotely access electronic equipment somehow. I've not heard of such technology existing but anything is possible. Aside from these things, Mon'Star has been described as ruthless, heartless, maniacal, and disturbed. Extreme caution should be exercised when confronting him. I suggest everyone carry low-tech weaponry just in case, we don't need any surprises out there. We have acquired a number of mechanical projectile weapons that are E.C.M. proof and should give you the upper hand in a firefight with him." With that he paused for a moment, as if to make sure he covered everything and finally spoke. " Any questions?"
Most were still busy writing down notes or whispering to each other. Finally a hand was raised.
"Yes Fox?" Markus said pointing to a young woman in the front row.
"Do we know what kind of ship this jerk flies?" Fox was known as one of the top pilots in the Gunners and had more kills than most veteran pilots twice her age.
"He seems to change ships from time to time," Markus said with a hint of disappointment in his voice, he had meant to mention that in his speech and forgot. He made a mental note to thank Fox later for not letting the information be forgotten. "He's been seen in both heavy and light fighters. Changing fighters from time to time could be an attempt to throw people off his trail. He is to be considered an ace pilot and should not be underestimated."
This brought a huff from Fox, allowing her much deserved confidence to slip out a bit. "We'll see who's the ace pilot if I find him in space." a few cheers sounded and she recieved high fives from those around her.
Markus could only shake his head at the Fox's usual behavior. "Anything else?" he waited for any more questions before continuing. "We will continue to attempt to find more info on Mon'Star and will keep you updated of anything new. I'll turn it back over to you Mr. Grey." Markus walked off the stage and sat back down in his original seat which was now vacant again as Gideon went back up to the podium.
"Thanks Markus." behind Gideon a map of Sirius was displayed with dots at random spots on it. "These are sightings of Mon'Star over the past few months, as you can see he gets around and seems to not stay in one place for very long. We are going to separate into squads in order to cover more area". With that Gideon began breaking the group into squads, which mostly consisted of a fighter wing and a gunboat. The different squads were sent to different parts of Sirius with orders to only locate Mon'Star and to call for backup. After the orders were given the Gunners began to disperse.
Once everyone had left, Gideon turned and stared at the picture of the man he was hunting being displayed on the monitors across the wall. His group had taken on jobs like this before and his team always performed beyond his expectations. Something was different about this one though; he had a bad feeling in his gut that usually told him something bad was coming. What was it though? Maybe it's just old age creeping up. Finally shaking off the thoughts of doubt, he walked to the door where there was a communications panel. "Helm, set course for New York."
"Aye sir" a voice responded.
Gideon went to a window looking out over the starboard side of the Iron Heart and watched as his Gunners grouped into formations and started moving off. The feeling came back now, stronger than before. What is it? He wondered. He finally took a deep breath and headed for the bridge.
Drew Perik, a veteran in Grey's Gunners, and his squad were scouting out Rheinland with each pilot checking out different areas of the Hamburg system. While inquiring about Mon'Star at a bar, he learned from the bartender that he just had a group of Rheinland military run out of the bar saying something about a guy named Mon'Star laying waste to all ships entering the jump gate from Hudson. With a quick thank you to the bartender, Drew ran for the flight deck. Once he was in space he contacted his squad, "Yellow leader to Squad, target acquisition possible. I am going to location for confirmation. Complete ship prep. and await my signal, yellow leader out." he closed the channel and hit his cruise engines; he felt that intoxicating rush of adrenaline come over him. He was excited, rubbing his hands together; he prepared to earn his pay.
The battle at the jump gate was over by the time Drew reached it. The remains of multiple transports, a few freighters, and at least 20 fighters littered the area between the jump gate and the trade lane. Drew scanned the fighters and found them to all be Rheinland ships, which meant Mon'Star was still out there. Drew checked his long-range scanner in just enough time to catch a momentary blip on the fringe of his scanners capability. He knew by lining up his current position with the location of that blip, the ship was heading for Frankfurt. Drew spun his Patriot light fighter around and went into the trade lane. Mon'Star was taking the long way, and if Drew hurried he could beat him to Frankfurt using the trade lanes.
Drew jumped into Frankfurt and quickly went to work; he turned his ship around and flew behind the jump gate. Once he was in position he turned off his ship completely, the only thing keeping him alive was his flight suit. This was a trick he learned from Gideon Grey himself and came in handy if you wanted to hide from someone, you wouldn't register on scanners unless they were looking for debris which he knew Mon'Star wouldn't be after filling his cargo hold with all the spoils of his latest victims.
A few moments went by Drew was beginning to wonder if he had misjudged his target's trajectory and started to reach for his ships power controls until suddenly the jump gate sprang to life. Through his slightly fogged cockpit window he coould see that a small fighter had emerged, it wasn't civilian or Rheinland or anything else he recognized. Drew knew there could be no confusion as to who this ship could be.
"There you are," Drew said finally, "now show me where youre going."
Almost as if he heard him, Mon'Star turned his ship and initiated his cruise engines. Drew had guessed where he was heading before he had even jumped into Frankfurt and with his latest turn Drew knew he was heading for Bruchsal Base. Once he thought his target was far enough away, he powered up his ship and began to head toward Bruchsal.
Drew came into view of Bruchsal just in time to see a small fighter, which could only be Mon'Star, docking with the station. He stopped his ship in the asteroid field and waited until the ship had docked before he broke communication silence.
"Yellow leader to squad, signal command with the following message: target location confirmed, all ships to converge on my location immediately." Drew rubbed his hands together in excitement, not only was he going to get the finding bonus that Gideon always placed on this kind of contract but he would be known as the one who was responsible for bringing down one of the most nefarious criminals Sirius had ever seen.
Jan Wesly walked into the Bruchsal bar a little bit faster than she normally did. She had overslept and was 3 minutes late at starting her shift. Jan worked as a prostitute for the man who ran the bar. She was relieved to see that he wasnt in the bar when she entered. Knowing that he liked to check up on her to make sure she was earning money she straightened up her hair and got right to work.
Looking around the room she noticed that the bar was practically empty except for one man toward the back of the room. She was somewhat happy that it looked like it was going to be a slow night; she didnt like being a prostitute and the less she had to do it the better.
She walked by the bar and noticed that the bartender wasnt there but didnt think too much about it since this wasnt uncommon on slow nights like this one.
As she approached the man her eyes were drawn to the metal arm holding the glass he was drinking from. She took a deep steadying breath when she saw the many weapons covering the man, she was around pirates and that kind of sort everyday but something seemed different about this man. Going against her gut feeling about him, she continued toward her possible client.
Is this seat taken? Jan said as she stopped at the side of the mans table.
Not at all my dear, The man said cheerfully without even turning to regard her, please, have a seat he extended his fleshy arm toward a chair opposite him at the table.
After sitting down she finally got a good look at the mans face. Aside from the large scar over his eye she found the man rather attractive which always made her job quite a bit easier. My names Jan, whats yours? she flirted.
MonStar. The man said blankly, as if he was preoccupied with something that Jan couldnt see.
MonStar huh? Thats an interesting name, She paused in order for MonStar to respond and when he continued to stare through her she continued, Well MonStar, are you looking for some company? If so I think you and I can have some fun together.
MonStar seemed to focus on her now, Funny you should mention that, Im actually expecting some company soon and when they get here there will be tons of fun to be had by all. He said with a slight grin.
A bit startled Jan started to stutter, Well.. umthat is umnot quite
Well speak of the devil, MonStar interrupted. An almost evil smile spread across his face, seems my company has arrived.
Jan was taken back at what MonStar was saying; she thought he was crazy until the door to the bar opened and a trio of heavily armed men entered with their weapons drawn and at the ready. Before she could try to reason out how MonStar knew how these people were about to enter she realized that MonStars company was not of the friendly sort.
MonStar the Red, you are surrounded, The armed men had their guns aimed in MonStar and Jans direction. Maam for your own safety move aside, this man is wanted in connection with the plague known as the Darkness.
Jan stood up and moved slowly toward the bar. She was completely in shock, she felt like she was in a dream. She wanted to say something to announce her innocence but noticed they seemed to be totally focused on MonStar.
So I see they finally found my little hidden message, excellent, MonStar said without even turning around. So who might you chaps be?
We are Greys Gunners. Weve been contracted to bring you in, dead or alive. Well leave the dead or alive part up to you. One of the men said as the group cautiously approached, stopping about ten feet from their target. On your feet maggot!
Tell me gentlemen, MonStar said calmly, Are you afraid of the dark?
Immediately the room went dark, Jan instinctively screamed and fell as the men opened fire. The loud, rapid gunshots made Jans world seem like it was coming to an end. All she could do is lie on the ground in a ball and keep her eyes closed tightly. For Jan the fight seemed to last an eternity but in reality it was over in just a few seconds. When the sound of battle stopped Jan opened her eyes moments before the lights in the room came back on. She had fallen behind the bar and couldnt see the aftermath from her current spot in the floor. The room was filled with a foul smelling smoke which caused the light in the room to be slightly dimmed. Through the ringing in her ears she could here voices.
Tell me your name merc. A familiar voice asked
She stood up to see MonStar kneeling over one of the mercenaries; He had the hand of his cybernetic arm clamped onto the forehead of the merc. The other two mercs were very much dead. One was lying on his stomach with his face pointing at the ceiling while the other had been cut deeply from pelvis to chin. The sight of the two dead men made Jan sick to her stomach and she nearly lost her breakfast.
D..Drew..arghDrew Perik. The man said obviously in pain as he was squirming on the ground while pawing and pulling at the unrelenting hand that was clasp onto his face.
Drew, can you tell me who your leader is? MonStar said calmly.
Gi..Gideon Grey.arghremember that name scum..ughhell be the one to bring you down. Drew said defiantly.
Gideon huh? Interesting, thank you for your time Mr. Perik.
Drew screamed suddenly and Jan heard a loud crack and then all was quiet. Jan bent over at the waist and emptied the contents of her stomach on the floor. When she had finished she felt a hand grab her and stand her back up.
Now that is what I call fun, MonStar said with a big smile on his face. Oh but its not over, the best part is yet to come.
Jan shook visibly and couldnt begin to fight back after seeing what just happened to three armed soldiers. She just obediently let MonStar lead her toward what ever it was he had planned next. They left the bar and headed toward an observation deck at the top of the station, the very one that Jan had spent countless hours during her off time looking at the stars and the ships landing on the base. The scene outside the Station was very different from anything Jan had seen before. The area outside the base was swarming with ships, everything from light fighters to gunboats and even a battleship.
Well organized arent they? MonStar said gleefully, makes me kind of proud really, seeing this right here makes me feel all warm and squishy inside.
Jan heart was racing. She wanted this to all be over. She didnt care where she was just as long as it was a very long way away from the man she was with at this moment.
Alright, MonStar said staring out the window with that unsettling smile painted across his face, Let the show begin.
Jan looked at MonStar curiously; again she was puzzled by the man. She had never been around someone so psychotic before and knew for a fact she didnt desire to do it ever again.
Jan nearly fell to the ground when the stations cannons started firing. Once she regained what composure she had left she looked out to she the ships outside being completely overwhelmed. It was obvious that they hadnt expected what had just happened. Some ships didnt even move before the turrets destroyed them while others moved but didnt get far. Jan watched as a gunboat turned to escape the barrage and looked like it was about to make it when a well placed shot to the engines immobilized it, shortly after it had stopped it exploded in a bright flash. The devastation was immense; to Jan it looked like at least half of the ships fell victim to the bases turrets. Jan could see the remaining ships flying away from the station. A few fighters, a gunboat, and the battleship made it out of the range of the stations turrets but from the looks of it they didnt get out unscathed.
Good times, MonStar said with a deep sigh, I know what you had in mind for fun was something completely different but after seeing that right there I feel like I should be charging you HAHAHAAHAHHAA.
Jan backed up against the doorway as MonStar turned and walked her way bellowing out that maniacal laugh. She flinched when he reached for her. Through closed eyes and clinched teeth, she felt him pat her on the head and he continued to walk past her and down the corridor leaving her to stand there on the observation deck alone. She slid down the wall, wrapped her arms around her knees, and dropped her head onto her knees are cried heavily as the sound of MonStars laughter slowly faded
Damage report! Gideon Grey shouted as he paced back and forth on the bridge of the Iron Heart, a ship that is renowned for its toughness and firepower. The ship now drifted aimlessly after a surprise attack that left the ship virtually crippled and it's fleet mostly destroyed.
Sir our shields are down, we have moderate hull damage, a nervous crewman named Tipton responded, and we have substantial damage to our engines.
What about the fleet? Gideon said through clinched teeth, his face was bright red that seemed to be only getting darker.
Sir, we lost 7 fighters and one of the gunboats. 3 of the remaining fighters are badly damaged, and the remaining gunboat is barely functioning. Tipton said trying not to make direct eye contact with Gideon.
What happened back there sir? a young female crewmen dared ask.
Gideon Grey sat down in his captains chair hard and took a deep breath, Seems MonStar knew we were coming and used Bruchsals defense system against us. As he finished talking he dropped his head into his hands and rubbed his face.
Sir! Tipton said nearly jumping up from his seat. A small fighter just undocked from Bruchsal. I think its MonStar! the man along with everyone else looked out toward the station and watched as a small vessel slowly emerged.
Battle Stations! Gideon said as he shot up from his chair.
Sir, hes heading away from us. Tipton said almost questionly. That brought silence to the bridge of the Iron Heart.
Wha.. Gideon began to say before Tipton interrupted.
Sir, one of the remaining Gunners is off in pursuit. He said frantically at work at his terminal.
Who is it? Gideon asked as he ran over to Tipton to see for himself.
After hitting a few quick buttons he responded, Its Fox!
Gideon reached over Tipton and opened a channel. Fox! You are ordered to stand down. Do not pursue the target.
Its no good sir shes switched off her communications array. Tipton said
Gideon spun around and punched the air Damn it! She must be trying to keep MonStar from interfacing with her ship. Suddenly there was static over the bridges intercom system, which made everyone stop dead in their tracks and look around nervously.
Dont worry Gideon, MonStar here will take good care of the little lady. HAAHAHAAHAHAHAHA!! just as quick as the voice over the intercom appeared, it vanished.
Gideon spun back around to face Tipton, I want this ship mobile yesterday Tipton, understood? He shouted.
Yes sir Tipton responded already fast at work.
And bring the rest of the Gunners to the Iron Heart, Im sure they need to dock. Gideon barely heard Tiptons response as he walked back to his chair. He sat down slowly this time, bending forward and putting his forehead on his crossed fingers in front of him. He took another deep breath and whispered to himself, Oh fox..
The Gunners eventually got the Iron Hearts engines back online and immediately set off in pursuit of Fox and MonStar. They had tracked their progress through the asteroid field until they were out of range. So they set off in the general direction the two had gone in hopes that they would pick up on their trail. Once they had been flying that way for a short time they picked up Foxs ship on the scanners. The Iron Heart slowly came to a stop a few kilometers from the ship.
Are their any signs of life? Gideon asked in a solemn tone, deep inside he knew what the answer was going to be.
No sir, Tipton finally said after pausing to hold back his emotions. The crew had been trying to keep their hopes up while the engines were being repaired and finding the wreck of Foxs ship shattered the crew on the bridge. Looks like her power plant was taken out and that scum of a dog let her suffocate. Tipton along with many others on the bridge couldnt hold back their emotions any longer. Tipton hung his head and wept uncontrollably but gained a bit of his composure back when he felt a comforting hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Gideon looking down on him.
She died doing what she loved, Gideon announced to the crew, We all could only wish that we will be as fortunate as she. He walked to his chair and turned to one of the crewman. Get a team together to bring in her ship, Shell need a proper burial and send a mes. in mid sentience Tipton interrupted with a shout.
Sir! Emergency hatch 27 was just opened! Tipton was looking at Gideon with a look of shock.
Gideon stood up in a flash and headed over to the nearest communications panel, Intruder Alert! This is not a drill, do not.. Gideon stopped talking, something was wrong. He had talked over the intercom to the crew countless times and when he didnt hear himself talking over the speakers his heart sank. Its MonStar, hes jammed the coms and we cant warn the crew. With his years of military training Gideon Grey didnt skip a beat, McDonald, Perry, arm yourselves and take two people each and start warning and gathering the crew. If you seen MonStar, do not hesitate to kill him immediately. He will be stopped here today people that much is certain. I want each of you heavily armed and ready for anything. Its show time people! before Gideon had stopped talking the crew had already sprung into action. The gun cabinet on the bridge was quickly emptied and a half dozen of the crew left the bridge.
Gideon and the gunners on the bridge set up defensive positions and dug into their positions in preparation for an inevitable showdown with the intruder.
Static broke over the speakers around the bridge, All around the mulberry bush the monkey chased the weasel, HAHAHAHAAA. The familiar voice sent chills down Tiptons spine and he began to shaking visibly. He nearly jumped when Gideon spoke to him.
Are you able to track him at all? Gideon asked
No sir, Tipton whispered, all sensors are unresponsive.
Keep trying. Gideon patted Tipton on the shoulder and started back to his position on the bridge. He surveyed his crew as he walked, over a dozen highly trained soldiers, each one of them aside from Tipton, were stone faced and ready for whatever was thrown at them. They all were armed with rapid fire mechanical projectile weapons which were brought on board the Iron Heart for this very situation. Gideon was brought out of his thoughts by a surprising noise. Someone was knocking the tune Shave and a hair cut on the door of the bridge.
Gideon held up his hand signaling the Gunners to be ready. The moments seemed like hours to the Gunners but they held their composure like the professionals they were known to be. The doors opened, Gideon smiled at the foolish move and knew the time had come to avenge all his fallen comrades and bring this monsters madness to an end.
Sir, Stevens, one of the systems operators, said, The freighter Versa has docked and an unloading crew has been dispatched.
Excellent, came a voice from across the room. To John Erickson, the systems leader for that shift, this was just another routine day. John had worked for Cryer for a long time, most of which was spent supervising the day shift of Cambridge Research Stations control room. Today was no different from any other day, guiding ships in and out in a neat and orderly fashion. This was something John took a lot of pride in and he had become well known for his logistical talents. I want that ships cargo unloaded labeled and put in stock within the hour Jeff. John said to Jeff Covington, the other of his two operators.
Consider it done sir. Covington responded.
John walked up behind Covington and looked at his screen over his shoulder.
Sir, Stevens said, I have an inbound requesting docking clearance.
What is the ships ID? John asked.
After pushing a sequence of buttons Stevens responded, Sir, its the Iron Heart.
John paused for a moment then turned and walked to his station. After sitting down he pulled a monitor over to him and began checking a notice he remembered getting about a week ago. He found the notice, it spoke of the Iron Heart and that the main office was to be notified upon its approach. Covington, call the main office and notify them that we have the Iron Heart on long range scanners requesting clearance to land.
Yes sir. Covington said compliantly. After a few moments, word was received from the main office. Sir, they said that we are to allow docking and to treat the cargo as dangerous.
Hmm, John said, seems well see a little excitement today boys. Dispatch a high security team to mooring fixture two and direct the Iron Heart accordingly.
Aye sir. said Stevens. Iron Heart, this is Cambridge Research Station, you are cleared to land. Please proceed to mooring fixture two.
Understood Cambridge, proceeding to fixture two. The Iron Heart responded.
Sir, isnt the Iron Heart the flag ship of Greys Gunners? asked Covington.
Indeed it is Jeff, John Erickson responded, Apparently Cryer has them commissioned for something.
Do you know what it is? Stevens asked
I checked and its been classified to the utmost. Only Ms. Blane has clearance for it. said John
Just then a warning sensor went off on Stevens console which made him spin around quickly, Iron Heart, you are to proceed to mooring fixture two. For safety precautions we ask that you drop out of cruise speed at least two kilometers out.
Sorry about that Cambridge, our controls were recently damaged and are responding a bit slower than normal. The Iron Heart responded.
No worries, well have a repair crew dispatched to have that looked at for you.
Thanks Cambridge, thatll be much appreciated.
Stevens dispatched the repair crew with a few key strokes on his monitor. Switching his view back to the Iron Heart only to find that it hadnt changed course. Iron Heart, your course has not changed. You are now within auto docking range, turn on your auto pilot and let the computer bring you in.
Okie dokie. The voice from the Iron heart said.
By this point all attention was being diverted toward the approaching Iron Heart. With its cruise engines on, it was quickly approaching the research center. With no sign of the ship altering its course John Erickson hailed the battleship. Iron Heart, this is Cambridge Research Center. You are off course and are denied docking until your controls can be repaired. Bring your ship to a complete stop and we will send a repair vessel to assist you.
This time there was no response from the vessel and it showed no signs of slowing down.
Somethings wrong, John said, ready the cruise disruptor turrets. If he doesnt stop soon fire enough missles to stop that thing.
Aye sir Covington replied.
Sir, Stevens said, The Iron Heart is about to cross the two kilometer restriction zone.
If it doesnt slow by then launch the missles. John commanded, which brought only a nod from an increasingly nervous Covington.
Iron Heart, this is your last warning. If you do not drop out of cruise we will be forced to do it for you. Johns words seemed to fall on deaf ears. Get ready Jeff.
The Iron Heart crossed the 2 kilometer mark at full cruise speed. Jeff Covington launched the cruise disruptor missles. The missles were fired with plenty of time for target acquisition and engagement. But they never locked onto the Iron Heart. As the missles flew harmlessly past the battleship the crew saw a small black ship that was flying directly behind the Iron Heart break away and start flying off.
What the.. was all John Erickson could get out before over the coms he heard a thunderous laugh.
HAHAHAHAAHAAAHHAHAAA
The flag ship of the famous group of mercenaries slammed hard into the Cambridge Research Station. It made first contact with the cylindrical connecting tube that joined hanger bay one to the rest of the station. The immense mass and speed of the battleship drove it completely through the connecting arm sending the entirety of Hanger bay one drifting off into open space along with anyone in it. The first contact with the station did only a little to slow to behemoth down. It did, however, knock it a bit off its original course. Due to the course change the Iron Heart didnt hit the center of the Cryer station. Leaning to one side from the first impact, the Iron Heart hit the very top of rear of the station. It gouged out a channel halfway through the rear portion of the station. The second impact disabled the ships power and slowed it down greatly but the momentum pushed it into very slow, end over end, cartwheel. The ship eventually pulled away from the station and continued its slow rotation as it entered into Planet Cambridges atmosphere.
Spectators looked on in horror at the sight. They were all helpless and could do nothing but watch the events unfold. Each ship in the vicinity was blanketed with the sound of the com signal from that lone ship that had broken away from the once mighty Iron Heart.
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