Another first chapter...

[geronl]

Unnamed Space Opera

--

The girl in the environmental mimic suit slowed down her run as she approached the edge of the largest crater on the desert planet. Her faceplate was dark to protect her from the harsh light and radiation of the twin suns. Finally, she fell to all fours and slowly crawled to the edge. To a casual glance she would look exactly like the ground around her, she wouldn't even show up on routine scans.

“Increase magnification,” she whispered, the shanty town below was mostly abandoned but for some reason there were many armored soldiers surrounding the central square. They were all watching the black-armored man in a cape walk toward the raised plinth at the center.

She increased magnification once again to get a visual on the device. This was it, this was the device she had come to steal.

“Audra, prepare to transport,” she whispered. She took a device from the pouch on her belt and aimed it at the chrome cylindrical device, it sent out a beam that told her the range, temperature and the minerals that made up the outer shell.

“Target is illuminated, Audra, transport now!”

Unfortunately the response was delayed, the black-armored figure was reaching the top where the device sat and a thousand soldiers could all see it.

“Acquired, transporting now,” a slightly computer-sounding voice responded.

The device and the black-armored figure shimmered and turned different colors as if from a prism and then within a second everything disintegrated, leaving nothing on the elevated platform. The soldiers began looking around and moving.

“Audra, transport me, Now,” she said as she crawled away from the edge and stood up.

“Acquiring your signal... Planetary shields are becoming active... uploading vital content data... interference with signal in less than ten seconds... “

“Get me up there, now!” she watched as the mimic suit failed due to local interference. They could see and detect her more easily.

Suddenly there were soldiers running toward her, one of them in red armor yelling at the others. “Don't let that person transport away!” he said as her world went foggy and then black.

…

“Audra!” she yelled as she realized she was aboard her orbiting vessel, “Code red, move now.”

The small vessel changed course and stretched into the distance and popped to the distant spot. This placed it far enough away from the planet to initiate a trans-space injection.

“Alliance warship approaching,” Audra, the computer, informed her.

“I imagine so,” the girl said, taking off her helmet. There was a square of blue anti-rad paint around her eyes, this was for extra radiation protection while wearing the suit. The faceplate was a weakness in radiation shielding.

“Trans-space injection in two seconds,” Audra announced as a warship fired a warning shot over the bow just before space went white and the stars went black.

“Trans-space achieved,” the computer said, “Ship is undamaged.”

The girl breathed a sigh of relief and then held it, eyes wide open. Suddenly she remembered something very important.

“The man in the cargo hold, can you incapacitate him?”

“Already done, Commander. I have also rendered his plasma weapon mute.”

She nodded, “Audra. The good news is we have the device. The bad news is we have also captured one of the top Alliance Generals. I suppose the rebels will torture and kill him when we arrive.”

“A fair and likely assumption”

She shook her head, “This can't be allowed. This wasn't supposed to happen.”

“It was not your mission to capture the General.”

The Commander stood and slapped her hands on the console in front of her. Then she walked around it gathering her thoughts.

“There is no way I can deliver this man to the rebels, I'm not going to be an accessory to his death. I have taken the device, as agreed, that should be enough. Right?”

“The rebels would declare you an enemy. That you are on the side of the Alliance.”

She threw up her hands, “After everything I have done?”

“The Alliance now knows about your existence, no doubt they have already looked into the provenience of this vessel.”

The Commander closed her eyes and tried to shake what was bothering her out. “I also can't just let the General go, can I? I can't deliver him back to the Alliance without giving them every reason to kill me on the spot.”

“Agreed.”

The Commander unlatched the environmental mimic suit and threw it into a seat to the side of the small control room. “What are my options then? I have obtained a super weapon and captured an Alliance General, both sides will hunt me down.”

The computer replied, “Run. Hide. Barter. Beg. Surrender...”

The girl shook her head, “Audra that list isn't particular helpful. It's not as if I didn't feel a bit panicky to begin with.”

“Your prisoner is starting to awaken despite the sedatives I have introduced to his cell,” the computer told her, she stood and faced the hatch at the back of the control room.

“He's awake?”

“Physical augmentation apparently allows his lungs to filter out the air in the room. He is becoming aware rapidly, I suggest ejecting him to space,”

She laughed and shook her head, “You know I can't do that. I also don't know if I like the fact that you would suggest it so readily.”

bang! Something was hitting the other side of the hatch. Bang!

“I await your orders, Commander.”

“Can I communicate with him?”

“His armored suit does have a communication device, probably allows them to talk with their helmets on, even in battle situations... “

“Just give me a connection, already.”

bang.

..

“Stop!” The Commander said.

“Who are you?” a deep voice asked, almost a growl.

“That hatch is quad-tanium, you'll just hurt yourself.”

The voice chuckled, “Are you certain of that?”

Truthfully, she wasn't. “We need to talk, General.”

“I am General Suthra, I command the First Infiltration Army of the Alliance. There is nothing to discuss, rebel scum, except your death or your surrender and then death.”

The Commander sighed and dropped her head, then rubbed her face as if exasperated.

“I am not a rebel. Just call me Kat.”

“Oh right,” the deep voice replied sarcastically, “I've been captured by the Candy-Gram girl.”

“Hey, that was only one summer!” she responded, “Besides, I'm really not a rebel.”

Bang!

“Then return me to my forces! Until then, you are an agent of the rebels who somehow knew our plans and managed to take me and the... how did you know of the device? Only a few even knew of this weapon before today.”

“The rebels told me, they paid me to stop you from using it against Charon IV. There are rules, you know, even in war. Wiping out a heavily populated world to kill a few top enemies is definitely a no-no.”

The laugh again.”Charon IV? No, I was going to destroy the rebel base on Praxis III. See, I know one of their secrets too.”

The Commander put a palm over her eyes. Nightmare. Praxis III was the biggest and most important rebel installation. If he was let go, a million could die.

“There is no point in negotiating now,” She told him, “It seems to me that no matter what I do, many people will die. Far too many.”

Bang! Bang!

“I'm going to get rid of this weapon and drop you off on some remote world with an ecology that can sustain you,” The Commander told him.

“No, you aren't.”

Audra broke in, “I can no longer detect the presence of the prisoner.”

Kat scrambled to the other side of the control room and pulled open a drawer just as the loudest bangs registered and the hatch partially opened. She pulled out a plasma injector weapon and turned to face the enemy.

He had to bend to enter the small control room. His helmet darted from one side to the other in a single sweep and landed upon her. She raised the weapon, pointed at his faceplate with a meter between. At that range it should vaporize his whole head. He didn't seem phased by this.

“My name really is Kat and I am not a rebel, I don't want anyone to die and especially not because of my action or inaction.”

He chuckled again. The dark armored General nodded, “Nice sentiment, except for the whole 'fighting both sides' stupidity. You can't stay out of war if you are fighting one side, especially both sides. Like it or not, you are a belligerent.”

“The Alliance murdered my family, the rebels took everything else. I have nothing but distaste for both sides. I hate both sides but I want the war to stop because too many have died already. I was ten years old at the Battle of Crota. My whole village was massacred.”

The General reached up and unlatched his helmet, then he took it off. Underneath he was a forty-ish year old man with graying hair. He had a hint of stubble but looked muscular and gruff.

“Crota? I was at Crota, I don't remember any massacres. We never landed any troops there.”

“What?” Kat asked.

“Ten years ago, the rebels invaded Crota after breaking our blockade. They are the ones who took your home world from you.”