Back to Venouslea
Virgil walked calmly through the halls of the military office looking around at every detail of the place. It was quiet as he expected he rather knew the people to be quite stiff and yet he was always curious about the place, he knew why. It was because it was where Rogan had been born, raised and even gone to school; he pictured Rogan running through the same halls with friends… or family. Then he’d always think maybe it was different here. There was too much he didn’t not know about the world of Venus, the people were known to be social hot heads and the even the whole theory just cause their so close to the sun.
Virgil stopped at the Admiral’s door, his two accompanying officers, Captain Hue to his right, Captain Markson to his left. The two of them looking around quite warily at their surroundings.
The guard at the Admiral’s door checked the schedule dates, he said nothing and Virgil didn’t expect him too, neither did he expect more than a short sentence out of this call for help. But yet he knew the lead Admiral was Rogan’s dad and what could he do? Virgil knew it in his gut Venus wouldn’t help them for crap. He pondered on maybe actually telling him about Rogan’s mission to Jupiter, her ship crashing on the god-forsaken planet along with four other ships. And Virgil knew the Admiral would be more than willing to help but also be furious enough to probably throw a chair at him not matter what he said afterward.
The guard finally looked back up with an approving stiff look and worked at the terminal for a moment.
The door
slid open silently.
“Don’t worry” Virgil whispered back.
Virgil took an unnoticeable breath and walked in, his officers didn’t follow him as he ordered.
The door slid closed behind him.
The admiral was sitting at desk and he had a very stiff face, not even a tick of expression at all. Virgil didn’t flinch and he just walked up to the desk calmly.
“Ahh… Commodore Miguel, how pleasant to see you …” the Admiral didn’t even sound a bit calm and even sarcastic in such a way that made him sick.
“Likewise Admiral Thealle” Virgil said grimly.
“And what may you ask of us on such short notice?”
“I came to ask for your support”
“In what exactly?”
“That’s classified”
“Oh a lot of things are, don’t give me that crap” the Admiral said coldly. “Oh but what hay, we’ll always have to look at the Earthen government to all their wisdom they sure must have a heck of a headache with so many uncertainties me refusing to help you”
“Look Admiral, I’m not here to debate on your beliefs, I’m asking you as a solider”
“Really” the Admiral stood up from his desk glaring dangerously at Virgil. Virgil didn’t flinch and inch. “I never knew soldiers who needed help, if you were a soldier you would be having courage, in my eyes boy, you aint no soldier to my eyes”
Virgil felt enraged inside, how dare he? Just what the hell is this guy’s problem? Virgil felt like reaching over and strangling the Admiral to show him ‘Courage’. But what good would it do?
“Admiral Thealle, I am asking you sincerely to aid us” Virgil felt sick as he said those words, sincerely was clearly untrue but Virgil refused to show any sign on his facial expression.
“Well in my sincerest honors I bid you to go back to your planet and fight your own battles, boy”
Boy? Boy? What the hell do you think you’re looking at! Virgil’s brow furrowed in anger and in frustration. “Mr. Thealle, unless you want to do the biggest mistake in your life, I implore you to reconsider”
“Really now? And what mistake is that? Your ass is bare and you got no cloths? And now you need a helping hand just like you people always need?” Said the Admiral
Virgil couldn’t take it anymore. “Your daughter you god-forsaken being!”
The Admiral’s eyes flashed as Virgil’s voice rose. “And what does all this have to do with my daughter?”
Virgil frowned deeply “Your daughter is on Jupiter! How the hell can you approve of that? You didn’t have an idea she was there didn’t you? Or maybe you did just don’t want to bother cause you don’t want to break you ooh wickey little hiye, hiye or whatever you people call it”
Virgil felt two hard hands snatch tightly and roughly on his chest and pulled violently forward, he was right against the Admiral’s face. Virgil didn’t move just kept a straight look. “Don’t you lecture me on intelligence! I don’t like your kind and never have, why did you even let my daughter there! It was probably by your order! Your stupid planet!”
Virgil thundered and shoved the Admiral backward and he almost lost his balance. “You’re hopeless!”
“Get out!” the admiral thundered back angrily.
“Humph!” Virgil stormed out of the room.
--
Rogan felt her head get hit by something, she awoke blinking up.
“Hey sleepy head” said Zaren.
Rogan yawned a little started to get up. “What’s up?
“Morning” he said turning back and walking to the old table. The broken down building was creaking a bit as he walked. They’d been hiding there for quite awhile now.
Rogan got up from her corner stretching her back. “So what’s the news on Jupiter Military?”
“They haven’t moved yet, they’re just lying there camping out just outside the abandoned city were we are.”
“You think their messing with us?”
“Possibility, but meh, what would I know?” said Zaren
“Don’t discourage yourself”
Rogan walked to the crud terminal and started typing. She sighed at her uniform all tattered up and blood stain on her right thigh, her wound didn’t hurt much now and she didn’t mind very much. A mini-map appeared on the screen red dots populating the outside of the city’s borders.
“You think there’s anyway out of this hell hole?” said Zaren
“Probably not until we can devise a plan”
A beep sounded the terminal that a message was coming through. It was encrypted but Rogan knew how to decode it quite quickly.
Decryption key: ******
Sightings: 5 man Jupiter scout team sighted at center block B3 at
Armaments: ANK-62 Scout Rifle, .22 Caliber Colt pistol, frag grenades.
Enemy Threat: Low
Sgt. Freeman,
“So they started moving in?” said Zaren who was peeking over her shoulder.
“It’s only a scout team, just hope they don’t suspect anything before we can devise a plan.” Rogan replied.
Suddenly a bright light flashed on her terminal indicating there was an extremely urgent message.
Rogan blinked and opened it; it wasn’t encrypted.
Urgency level: Red
Threat: High
Sighting: x2 enemy tanks, x4 armored
transport vehicles sighted at C5.
Armaments: x2 AVT-23 Nova assault
tanks, x4 T1-H Sandcrawler troop transport.
Enemy Threat: High
Cpl. Higgins
She blinked again and turned to Zaren; he was staring at the screen then looked up at her. “Alert everyone else”
“Yes maam” he said looking a little frightened and got on the com.
Rogan stared out the window wondering just how they snuck past the lines without anyone knowing.
Then out of no where a Nova assault tank balled into her sight just down the street, she turned white and bolted to the side of the window hopping it didn’t see her. They where coming from all angles! What had happened to outer posts? They might have been tricked, and how come they didn’t appear on the sensor system? They must have tricked us all along! The camp out in the desert was all a distraction to think nothing was wrong all along and then bring some new stealth appliance of theirs and sneak past our lines and only a couple of their units were spotted before they finally got in place.
“Zaren!” she whispered. He turned and looked at her with a phone at his ear. “Get down”
Zaren did so, Rogan made a gesture to keep it silent.
She took out her pistol from its case and held it ready. Zaren saw she was getting ready for something and got up his pistol as well.
There were voices at the lower floors suppressed whispering, Rogan turned and aimed at the door.
An eruption of gunshots came from the bottom floor, Rogan stood up lowly and going to the door, Zaren followed.
She opened the door and leaped out in a roll looking about the stairs, she stood up peering down at the gun shots.
It wasn’t long until a tank shell blew it’s way into the first floor tearing the wall down, the whole second floor sunk to the side it had lost it’s support. Rogan felt her feet slide she tried to grip onto something up it was too late she lost her balance too much and slid off the second floor and dropped back first into the hardwood floor, she moaned a little and rolled onto one knee scanning the room for an enemy. Her vision was blurry, she had also hit her head on the way down and her back ached, she held her head. Until a couple shots were fired. She turned her attention quickly to the fire. A Jupiter soldier had come out of the dinning room and Zaren and shot him twice in the chest.
Rogan stood and ran back to the stairs on her way another tank shell was heard exploding nearby, it almost deafened her this time, the room shook again.
Two more enemy soldiers came out of the kitchen pointing their rifles at her and fired, she took cover behind a short wall. She peered out of the side and fired two solid shots at the soldiers. She hit the first one in the head and the other in the ribs.
Rogan heard the moaning of the second solider she hit. Her head was more banged than she thought, her thinking was slow and her mind started to drift. And it wasn’t just her; she saw Zaren was acting slowly as well, a toxin of some kind?
She heard another louder closer burst of a rifle, she felt her right shoulder blow out with pain, and she saw the blood spew right in front of her. She limped forward and fell to her side. Her mind finally dropping into darkness
--
Virgil shook his head deeply, there were sitting in the halls of the military office with his two associates.
“Didn’t go too well I take it?” said Thitaya to Virgil.
“Nah…”
“So what
are we to do now?” said
“Don’t know… I just don’t know” he replied shaking his head again and sipping his coffee wondering if it probably was poisoned to just to kill him for the way he acted in Admiral’s office, but that was Venus for ya. He thought.
Virgil didn’t die and for in some point he kind of wish he had, what could he do now? There was his friend on a completely hostile planet for crying out loud and her father doesn’t even come to her aid, it seems so stupid people are even capable are being that way let alone being racist to a Commodore.
“So this is
where you came from?”
“Yup sure is” she said staring out the window “Went to school here… lived the way, known the way it is…”
“No offense or anything but the people here seem relatively… aggressive”
“Oh I’m different, I don’t show my aggressive side, I tamed it long ago” Thitaya winked a little then turned to Virgil.
He looked back and he saw she wasn’t looking particularly at him, but behind him. Virgil turned around seeing the uniform of a female Venusarian officer standing there a little ways away.
“Commodore Miguel I presume” the female officer said in a delicate soft-like Russian accent.
Virgil just nodded a little. “And you may be…?” he scanned her uniform he didn’t recognize the strips but he could probably tell she was someone of a high rank.
“Commodore Yetrev” she responded
Virgil had heard the name before, Alyona Yetrev, One of Rogan’s early childhood friends? He assumed he was correct but didn’t say anything.
Virgil stood up to face Commodore Yetrev his associates did the same.
“Alyona…” said Thitaya.
“You don’t look so different since I last saw you, Thitaya or should I say, Captain Markson” The Commodore said softly with a smile and wink.
“Any reason you’re here to talk to us?” asked Virgil.
“Yes I believe so” the Commodore turned around and started walking. “Come”
Virgil,
“What was the verdict?” said Virgil
“Admiral Thealle has denied your request, I heard what happened in there and I’m not happy about it”
Virgil looked to the ground slightly.
“But he only said he wouldn’t help, he never said anything about me” the Commodore spoke with a slight grin.
“I didn’t
think it worked that way here” said
“Me neither” added Thitaya.
“It doesn’t, just I can do whatever I want with my troops and their not in the Admiral’s control”
“So what you have some kinda Venusarian rebels to help us?” Virgil blinked.
“Don’t be silly-I control a separate military, it’s not listed on any political book that it’s supposed to exist that all Admirals in the Venusarian military have their own army to command, not in any power to the main government”
“Illegal
troops?”
“Something like that…”
They went on until they reached a huge door over looking one of Venus’s craters. The Commodore worked the terminal and the large door started opening.
And there in the clouds of stirred sand and rock were two over sized troop carriers and hundreds of thousands of troops marching around the core of the crater.
“Amazing…”
said
“Isn’t it?” said the Commodore
“Those forces will be at your disposal, armor vehicles and air support can be provided by Sky Marshal Kijua.”
There it was another name Virgil recognized, Kanya Kijua?
Virgil nodded and looked at Commodore Yetrev. “I thank you for your support” Virgil saluted.
The Commodore nodding with a brief smile and started off back into the building, then stopped. “Tell Rogan I said hi” she said it over her shoulder then she disappeared off into the building.
So… she did know Rogan, Virgil looked out in the vast masses of people. Then nodded at the two Captains, they both smiled with pride.
They rode a rover to the center of the crater where the troops were being organized and there was quite a bit of activity amongst them. It was quite cloudy with rising sand as transports drove by. They stopped at a vacant place where no activity had been.
They got out and looked around having closed their eyes a little from the sand. Then someone came up to them another uniformed woman but this time seeming of Asian origin. Virgil knew quickly who it was.
“Marshal…” Virgil spoke first.
“Pleased to meet you Commodore Miguel” she said holding a brief salute.
“Kanya” Thitaya projected with a bit of happiness.
“Captain Markson” The Marshal smiled delightfully looking a little childish.
“I swear
you know like everyone here” said
Thitaya
laughed and nudged
Virgil chuckled heartily “Okay we can work on the reunions later, we have people to save” he smiled with courage; the others nodded their agreement smiling themselves in their own way.
--
Rogan awoke finally, her eyes opened slowly; she saw a bright glare in eye. She got up slowly feeling rough at her hands. She opened her eyes again seeing she was on sand. She felt confused as she stood weakly in the middle, everything seeming slow and rushed. Suddenly the ground rumbled she almost fell but got her balance. Just then rectangular hole opening before her, she fell back, as the sand slid into the hole like and hour glass tipped on one side. She scrambled to get away as a stone statue griffin arose before she, she almost gasped and she scooted away staring at the monument, the griffin statue was life sized and had lifelike eyes that scared her.
It seemed too much as if it were whispering to her, calling to her. She didn’t know what it all meant, her being here… was it all a dream? Rogan got back up on her feet and stared up at the griffin statue, the earth rumbled again as the griffin started become colored it’s eyes moving with life, it jumped off towards her, she leaped back in surprise.
The griffin eyed her dangerously; she stood back looking back at it. Then without warning the griffin shoot up at her in full speed head butt, she tried to move but it was too late. But she wasn’t harmed by the assault everything she saw suddenly went blunt and blurry everything disappeared around her then she stood in a corridor of a ship. No ship she’d known, it looked older, the design she saw in the interior was centuries old. Ship staff walked casually around not seeming to even take any notice of her.
Rogan walked more into the corridor until she found the bridge, the bridge was small. Roughly the olden day cockpit type bridges cramped up in the point on the control tower. She did not recognize the people, she was too confused, but then she saw it. The insignia of the ship … it read right there in bold lettering with the dead picture.
U.N.S Griffin
And there was the picture of a griffin under the name the symbol of pride. Then out of blankness of space the world swirled continuously first though the window, then into the room. She felt she could not move, it engulfed her everything shattered in her mind, everything became dark again.
She opened her eyes again a little forcefully.
“Good morning…” it was Nicole’s soft voice she hadn’t heard from in so long.
Rogan saw the blankness of a wall; she sat up from the floor her head aching. “Nicole?”
“I’m here” Nicole said, Rogan felt Nicole’s hands on her shoulder trying to calm her.
“I… thought you were dead” said Rogan.
“No… it takes more than that to get rid of your friendly doctor” she was using a little bit of a comedic voice.
“Where’s everyone else?”
“Gone as far I know”
“Where are we?”
“From what I see… we’re in space, Jupiter station I’m guessing.”
“Why would they send us up here?”
“Ask them” said Nicole.
“I would” Rogan tried to move her right arm, it hurt quite a bit.
“Easy on that arm, you were 2 inches from getting your shoulder cap blown off” Nicole said with a worried voice.
Rogan sighed. “That’s the second time I’ve gotten hit in the shoulder”
There was beep at the door, the door slid open as two guards made their way into the cell, and Nicole looked up at them with a glare.
“Come on with us” said one of the guards.
“Go back to your potholes” said Nicole.
The guard took up a gun and pointed it at Nicole, “I’m authorized to use this”
Nicole backed off a little.
Rogan only just nodded slowly and got up on her feet looking at the guards. “Let me guess, Interrogation?”
“Humph” grunted the other guard.
The guard who pulled out the gun took Rogan by the arm and led her out of the room, and then the other guard closed the door off leaving Nicole inside.
“What about Nicole?” she said
“You’ll see her again” the guard pulled her off quite firmly and painfully.
--
The heavy tanks rolled in down the ramps pouring out of the tank base, support vehicles and artillery units being rolled out from the main gates to Yetrev’s quarter or the crater the forces were setting up.
“SP1A3
Sparrow Light tanks, Guerrilla T61 heavy assault vehicles, GT4 Groundhog heavy
transports, Raven attack bombers,
“You’ve got quite an inventory!”
exclaimed
“That’s not even half of what we have” the Marshal grinned.
“Exactly what we need” Virgil smiled.
“I’ll give you a list of our armaments later on, we need to devise this plan of yours” said the Sky Marshal.
Virgil nodded showed her the map. The plan was that the two Venusarian carriers will move close to Jupiter’s unguarded areas around patrol time, the events of that, Captain Markson and Captain Hue, would be commanding the supporting fleet to protect the carriers by all means necessary.
Once the carriers are deployed over the planet, the carriers will turn into two temporary space stations. After of which the support fleet will destroy all any and all atmospheric weapons that could be used to take out their drop ships or even some of their ships. Next was to launch multiple dummy sensors to fake drop ship signals confusing the ground forces until their forces finally reached the planet.
Then the
operation will commence phase two the liberation, using the info sent back from
Dr. Heartland the location of the prisoners is confirmed in an abandoned city
due east of where the drop ships will be landing. After the drop ships unload
they will establish temporary camps. Artillery units will be deployed to be
used as a land based support fire. Jets and fighter/bombs will provide support
to the chopper squadron. The chopper squadron land at several points in the
base after data is collected. Once prisoners are taken back, the convoy of
heavy assault vehicles moves in and load up the prisoners. By that time the
Jupiter military’s forces would have sent an assault to intercept the convoy.
In the events the plan moves to phase 3, retreat. The drop ships will launch from the ground up to the carriers, attach on, then the entire fleet will move out of the hostile space.
The mission was to take four long weeks to complete. And there would be casualties.
“But how do you know the fleet wont get overrun by the entire Jupiter space force?” said the Sky Marshal.
“Their forces are too weak to endure another fight so quickly, their ships are mostly in ruins except for a small few of them, so I know they wont send much.” Said Virgil “But, in the event if something goes wrong I need people I can trust with being able to adjust to the situation quickly and efficiently. “
“You can
count on us with the fleet, sir” Thitaya said, her and
“Count me in for the air force” saluted the Sky Marshal.
“I will conduct ground forces” nodded Commodore Yetrev.
Virgil nodded and smiled “And I will go on in myself with the chopper squad”
“I’m counting on you … all of you” Virgil continued on.
Everyone looked at each other then saluted.
Virgil stood up sitting on the top of one of the humvees watching all the tanks rolling by, troops marching by. He knew he had to too do it, he had to get her out, and he wouldn’t fail. He was a soldier and he went with courage.
Virgil stood up and waved at the new line of tanks coming, conducting the traffic, the tanks turning on dime almost perfectly in single file. He saw the look in all the troop’s eyes, they were courageous, they were loyal, the power in them the pride they held … this was Venus’s military and he needed them now, more than ever, he would not fail the coming endeavor nor would he fail who he cared for, he would not fail Rogan.
Continued… .
