New Eden Chronicle #3

Arcurio

Y115.3.22 16:50 hrs.

Arcurio, Caldari Prime, Luminare

"Stack up!" The shout went through the neocom of the squad as the whine of ships filled the air. Lieutenant Astria Couture gritted her teeth as the bang of hypervelocity rounds echoed through the streets.  Her CreoDon Breach Assault Rifle was pressed firmly into her shoulder as the rest of her squad scrambled to kneel behind her, readying for the burst of hostilities that would mark their assault.  Through her neocom she could hear the frantic fighting going on high above the world.

"Ready!" Militiaman Prochoros shouted from where he was crouched, his own rifle gripped tightly in his hands.

"Go!" She snapped and swung around the wall into a tight alley. Ahead she could see Caldari troops, their rifles already up on their shoulders tracking.  Her squad scrambled out into the street, hunkering behind cover as the first volley of fire shot through the air.  Her assault rifle barked as a caldari trooper filled her sights. His shields flared a brilliant blue as they started a charge cycle and she swore as she squeezed the trigger again, ripping through the shields after another six round burst and tearing apart the man's armor.  His helmet seemed to explode from two of the hypervelocity rounds before the body toppled back.

The scream of a set of engines filled the air and Astria looked up just as a Viper-class Dropship dropped into the midst of the battle, hovering over the line of Caldari troops blocking the way to the Mayor's Office. Twin blaster shots filled the air and Astria dove to the side just as she saw one of her men disintegrated from a hit.

"Fleet’s here!" Prochoros said. "Maybe they can give us a hand?"

Astria shook her head. "Not until that Titan's dead!" She said before spinning round the corner of a crate and lifting her rifle. A volley dropped another Caldari soldier before a shot from the dropship forced her back under cover.

Then the whine of an engine drew her attention and she stopped as a Madrugar tank rolled up before them, its heavy gun building up power with a whine and a bolt shot from its barrel, smashing into the Myron and blowing it to pieces.  The wreck crashed down amongst the line of Caldari soldiers with a blast of flames and a rumble that rolled across the city.

"Guess we don't need the fleet." Prochoros muttered before leaping out from cover and scrambling forward, his gun letting loose with a ragged volley.

"Forward!" Astria shouted.

Overhead a brilliant flash lit up the sky and the neocom links crackled from interference for a moment.  Then the neocom picked up the shouts of hundreds of capsuleers overhead, all relaying the news.

Titan down! I repeat, Titan down!

Got em!

Leviathan destroyed, I'd like to see your face now, Tibus!

Astria smiled grimly as she saw the line of caldari troops seem to waver, no doubt learning that their fleet overhead was fighting for its life. Railgun bolts tore through the air as swarms of dropships and transports rushing reinforcement to the battlefield filled it.

She slapped another clip into her rifle and stalked forward, her rifle spitting bolts into one of the caldari troopers before her.  Smoke drifted across her vision from the burnt out wreck of the dropship.  The Madrugar rolled forward, its guns spitting plasma and railgun bolts into the formation of troops before her.  The caldari line began to break as they kept pushing forward, firing as they did.

She charged as they broke, using her suit's light weight to her advantage and vaulted over a smoldering crate, kicking the Caldair trooper behind it as she charged.  A moment later she had buried a nova knife into his chest and spun with her rifle to the two troopers flanking her.  A volley of assault rifle rounds tore apart one of them as Prochoros fired a burst into the other man's gut, dropping him to the ground.

"Clear?" Astria asked as she lowered her rifle and glanced around the alley.

"Clear." Prochoros confirmed as he kicked over the remains of one of the Caldari soldiers and fired a single shot into his skull. "Well, it is now."

A squadron of fighters roared overhead and Astria glanced up to see an Atron frigate rocket past one of the towers, firing from its guns as five Gallente Navy Fireblog-class fighters flanked it, sending a volley into a gun mount at the top of the tower.  An explosion filled the sky, as the attacking force shot past, and climbed skyward.

Then, as the Madrugar-class tank rolled down the alley with them trudging behind it, her neocom suddenly buzzed with activity.

Commander Anteson Ranchel: To all Gallente forces currently engaged in Arcurio, be advised. Initial track of the remains of the Leviathan-class Titan Shiigeru indicate landfall in the western Arcurio area. A number of Obelisk-class Freighters are enroute to Arcurio-West Spaceport. We are encouraging the civilian authorities to evacuate the western Arcurio area.

Astria swore under her breath as she glanced over at Prochoros. "Squad!"

The eight men that remained under her command turned to face her and beneath her helmet, her face hardened. "Arcurio is being evacuated... it seems, the Caldari Titan's remains are on a course that will bring her down here."

"Damn." One of the younger troopers muttered. "Sir?"

"We've got no choice, we're pulling out..." After a moment, she made a decision and walked over to one of the doors that lined the alley and banging on it. When it opened a moment later, she glared at the blonde woman who stood there at the door. "Ma'am."

An evacuation siren began to blare over her head and Astria bit her lip before glancing back at the woman who suddenly looked frightened. "The Shiigeru is coming down, everyone's got to evacuate!"

The woman swore and scrambled back inside, yelling. All across the city, Astria caught sight of holographic repeater displays switching to an evacuation warning. A burning fragment wandered across the sky leaving behind a smoldering contrail and a sonic boom before it slammed into the ground far to the west.

Astria turned to her squad. "We make for Arcurio-West." She relayed. "Watch for Caldari troops. Who knows what they'll do now."

"They'll fight us for every street, they're clones after all." Prochoros stated.

She scowled. "So are we... Protect the civilians at all costs, we're not exactly mortal... so if it's a choice between a seat on an evacuation transport between you and civie, give it up... even if they're ethnically Caldari."

"Yes ma'am!" The squad answered.

A moment later, the woman reappeared at the door, holding a young boy in her arms and a small case in her spare hand. Astria glanced at her before turning back to the squad. "Move out!"

As they headed down the street, the rumble of debris falling through the atmosphere filled the air.  Overhead she could see a massive Mobile Command Center shrug off a hit from a falling piece of debris.  A dozen freighters filled the skies as hundreds of escort ships roared through the air.  A cannon fired from a distant tower to the east and she watched as a beam tore through one of the Obelisk-class freighters, obliterating it.

With a boom, the street exploded and Astria froze as a giant hulking figure clambered up from where it dropped. A glance filled her gut with horror, a Caldari MTAC clambered out, and its main gun humming with gauss charge.  The Madrugar-class Tank stopped and its gun tracked toward the mecha just before a shot from the mech blew through its turret.  The tank exploded, sending debris in all directions as the civilian scrambled for cover.  A second later gunfire rained down from the rooftops around them and Astria swore as she saw one of her squad drop from a shot through the skull.

Astria lifted her rifle and sent a three shot burst up into a Caldari soldier who was on the roof. His shield flared for a second before he toppled from his perch and landed on the ground with a sickening crunch.  She spun as a round punch into her armor and lifted her rifle toward another Caldari soldier, just as a three shot burst tore through her attacker and dropped him.

The MTAC swung to face her, its guns charging up as it pointed its muzzle toward her.  Astria closed her eyes and braced herself.

"SWARM OUT!" A female voice shouted and a moment later a volley of micro missiles slammed into the MTAC, ripping through its shields and sending it stumbling backward as she opened her eyes.  The crump of explosive charges filled the air and she watched as grenades blew off one of the MTAC's legs and sent it toppling forward.

"Who launched the..." Prochoros's voice cut off as he stared past Astria. "Damn..."

The cries of the young boy echoed in the sudden quiet, "Mom?" he murmured as Astria turned, expecting to find the blond woman reduced to a bloodied piece of meat.

Her jaw dropped as she saw the blonde, her jaw was set in a hard expression as she dropped the still smoking swarm launcher. Astria stared at the woman as she ripped a pistol from the Caldari's body and stuffed it in the pocket of her loose fitting set of clothes.

"Well... umm... thanks, I guess." Prochoros said.

"Don't mention it." She grumbled as she picked up her son and then smirked. "Lieutenant Riko Steube... retired."

"Riko... you're caldari?" Prochoros stammered.

"I live here." She answered coldly. "Formerly, Federation Navy... if you really need to know." She growled before picking up the boy in her arms and scowling. "Let’s get out of here... damn clones."

Astria scowled to herself for a moment before pulling her squad together and directing them to a highway. On her display, she saw a dozen evacuation points had been assigned to her HUD, where dropships would pickup evacuees and transport them to the spaceport.  She pointed her squad to the nearest point, a landing a pad atop one of the apartment towers.  Soon, she found herself amongst a crowd of civilians, carrying children, bags, and precious belongings as they walked.

Riko shifted her son in her arms, and kept close to the squad, her green eyes focused on rooftops and other ambush points as they walked.  Astria chewed her lip nervously, while the continued flash of space combat in the sky overhead drew her attention. They walked along one of the roadways, amongst the throng of civilians desperately trying to escape from the devastation.  Soon there were so many that no one seemed to be able to move forward.

Astria saw Caldari Deites, Civire, and Achura civilians mixed amongst the throng alongside ethnic Gallente, Intaki, Jin-Mei, and others.  Finally she pushed her way to the front of the crowd and stopped cold. A Caldari Gunnlogi-class Tank sat in the middle of the street, it's hull decorated by the logo of the Provist Government. Flanking either side were Caldari soldiers with their guns raised toward them.  A single man stood in the middle of the roadblock clad in a Caldari officer's uniform and a pistol on his belt.

Immediately Astria felt the gun's aim switch to her as she stopped before the crowd.  They didn't fire, instead the Caldari officer raised his arm, ordering them to hold and stepped forward.  The man's blue eyes flickered across her for a moment before glancing at the gathered crowd.

"I have orders to prevent you from leaving." He stated coldly.

"Well fuck your orders." Riko's voice cut out from the crowd as she stepped forward, her son still in his arms. "Unless you prefer Caldari blood on your hands."

"My orders are clear." He growled. "Caldari Prime is ours..."

"And we're the hostages to keep it so?" Riko snapped before setting down her son and stepping toward the officer. With a flurry of movement, she leapt forward, grabbed him and twisted the shocked officer into a chokehold.  The Caldari pistol she'd grabbed earlier appeared in her hand and was pressed against his temple. "CALL THEM OFF!"

"The State will..."

"THE STATE IS RUN BY A BLOOD THIRSTY DICTATE. NOW CALL THEM OFF!" She screamed.

"A bolt from those rifles will pierce through the both of us." He growled.

"And all the civilians behind us, DO YOU WANT THEIR BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS?" She screamed in his ear. Astria raised her rifle toward the clearly confused contingent of Provist troops. Around her, the squad readied for combat, while the civilians recoiled from the confrontation.

"No..." The officer admitted.

"Then call them off." She answered coolly.

"St... Stand down!" He choked out before Riko released him and kicked him toward his line of soldiers. "STAND DOWN!"

The clatter of treads echoed in the street as the tank reversed and rolled out of the way. The Caldari troops slowly lowered their rifles and stood aside. Astria stared at Riko as she walked back to her son and grabbed his hand. "Let’s go."

They ran, not knowing how much time they had left until the wreck came slamming down to the surface.  Already fragments roared across the sky like a shower of collasal meteors.  Explosions lit up the sky from distant impacts as the squad raced up the stairs.  In the distance they could see Caldari dropships lifting off and flying to the east, apparently begining their own evacuation.  They scrambled up the stairs, ignoring the disabled turbolifts followed by a collosal mass of humanity desperate to get to a transport.  As Astria tore open the door to the roof access and scrambled out onto the roof, she let out a breath of relief on seeing a half dozen dropships sitting on the roof.  Immediately she stood aside and began pushing the evacuees toward the ships.

The crew chief of each gunboat counted them off, pushing a dozen into each craft crammed in like sardines.  They began to lift off, roaring into the air and vectoring to the spaceport.

Riko stood to the side, with her son in her arms yelling obscenities in Caldari and keeping them from swarming over the transports. "Twelve! He said twelve!"

"Mom..." Her boy murmured as the second dropship lifted into the air.  "What about us?"

"We'll get on the last one." She said quietly.

A roar echoed overhead and Astria looked up as a Caldari

Condor roared overhead, it's missile batteries firing into a Incursus that had flown into the atmosphere to support the evacuation ships.  After a moment, it exploded, sending a shockwave rumbling over the city while the smoldering wreckage fell toward a clump of building below.

After a few minutes, only one dropship remained.  The last ten more civilians scrambled out of the roof access and ran toward the ship.  Riko followed them and grabbed hold of a rung while holding her son tight. "Thank you."

Astria nodded. Then she tore her helmet off revealing her face to the two of them before she glanced at the boy and grinned. "We'll be alright... What's his name?"

"Kazuki." She answered quietly. "Yours?"

"Astria Couture."

"We've got to go!" The pilot yelled.

"Good luck." Astria said before she stepped back and the dropship lifted off.  It banked toward the spaceport and disappeared from view.  She took a deep breath and glanced to the west, gazing toward the Kaalakiota Mountains.

A rumble filled the air and she looked up and gaped as a mass of burning metal and debris streaked through the sky. Her gaze followed the mass as it dove down. She stared as the burning mass disappeared just beyond the horizon before a sonic boom rolled over her, tearing at her eardrums. Beneath her, she felt the tower shudder from the blast.

A brilliant flash lit up the horizon and she shut her eyes as a second blast slammed into tower.  Beneath her feet, she felt the metal structure twist and buckle before it gave way. A wall of dust seemed to roll toward them from the distant impact as the building collapsed beneath her.

Astria shut her eyes and bit her lip, waiting for the familiar bite of death after she looked down toward the surface rushing up to meet her.

She woke with a gasp, clad in a familiar set of armor.  She blinked her eyes and glanced around the dimly lit cabin she'd found herself in and let out a sigh.

Prochoros stepped into the cabin. "Astria, you alright?"

"Yeah... Procho." She grinned faintly before tapping the terminal by the desk. "Another contract?"

"Aye... you can take a break if you want, Astria." He said.

She nodded before a message appeared on the terminal.

Riko Steube: We're alive... We just made it out. Thanks for everything.

Astria smiled faintly before she activated her neocom and sent back a quick reply: You're welcome.