The Instellar War, What dismal future waits?

[Zeshin]

Pain…burning, excruciating…horror unlike any other. That was the last thing I remembered before the darkness took me, before I could feel no more. I’m numb now, adrift in a sea of shadow, lost in a world that is not my own. Thoughts, a thousand strong engulf my mind; playing themselves out in a hundred different dreams while I sleep…none of them are peaceful. Was it my fault it happened? What had I done that deserved this? Could Neka…? No, never…

It is the year 2173. Earth is a very different place from what it had once been in the beginning of the 21st century. Since then the world has entered a new age of exploration, in the form of space travel this time around. While a ‘perfect society’ is far from achieved, World Peace is a notion that can be thrown around much greater meaning now. The Americas have united into one nation known simply as America, and the European Union now encompasses all of Europe- be it Western or Eastern. Russia remains its own, defiant nation, along with most of Asia…but Africa too has finally united into the African League, which is receiving regular funds from both the EU and America to help it modernize completely.

Other planets are colonized; space stations serve as waypoints for ships of the various powers…but in our race for expansion, foolish errors were made. In our exploration of other solar systems, an alien race was stumbled upon. True to our nature, we acted with stupidity, and caused a war to rage between in such very little time. Our forces, divided under the various nations, succeeded at first, but quickly found themselves outmatched. Our war is a losing one, yet the nations, despite the peace between them, seem adamant in their stance of non-unification of their forces. To make matters worse, Mars and all its citizens has revolted against Earth’s control, and formed its own government- a Monarchy at that. It’s hell in a hand basket…

It is here, in the present day, that an American ship holds orbit over the sovereign planet of Mars, cloaking its movements to the world below…

[Zeshin]

We interrupt these regularly scheduled programs for a special news update. We now take you live to the news room with David Fellerman and Elise Menay…

“Hello, I’m David Fellerman here with this special news update. Reports have come in from our sources on Mars that a terrible turn of events has been set in motion. An assassination attempt was apparently made on the Martian Princess just a half hour ago. Reports are swarming in that while injured, her injuries are not critical…however; several members of the Martian High Council, in addition to the Princess’s entourage are reported dead. The response has been swift and expected: The Martian Dictator, the Emperor Elric Chanoma, has issued a declaration of war on us folks here on Earth. The combined nations of Earth have denounced this as a foolish act, but have declared their intentions to fight back if the Emperor carries through. This could not come at a worse time…”

[Mistress]

"Oh shit ... " She had been watching the news broadcast from a public terminal in the slums of the biggest city on Mars. The young American girl looked around for enforcers, hiding the Earth barcode on her wrist. Niki had been born on Earth and traveled to Mars for a school trip, but her and the rest of her class were captured by Martian slavers fifteen years ago. With war being declared upon Earth, any and all who are not Martian would be put into camps. It could be genocide.

" ... fucking Martians." She muttered under her breath, diving into the crowd, scurrying away with the rest of the population. The slaves and vagabonds quickly dived into their hiding places, and she followed upon their heels, making sure her master had not followed.

Long brown hair and blue eyes, the girl was fairly pretty, save for burn scars across her right eye and up and down her hands and arms. There are more down the right side of her back, but they fade around her hips. She was short, only standing five feet and four inches, but she had muscle due to hard labor.

Niki glanced behind her again, to see if anyone was following ...

[Zeshin]

Oh sweet darkness return to me…let me dream a thousand dreams, let my mind endure a hundred thousand nightmares but please, please do not let me go back into the light. For in the dark, where there are no shadows for me to hide, I must face the blinding, horrific fact of reality…and above all else I fear that!

The boy groaned as he was thrown upon the examination table, the massive light over head all but blinding him. His eyes were not used to the light yet, and his body was still weak from his time in the ‘chamber’, and yet they manhandled him so forcefully. Men in white lab coats surrounded him, prodding him, examining him, while at the doors and at his sides marines sat, Black Ops at that. Their armor was as black as night, and smooth almost obsidian-like helmets hid their faces from view. That was all that he could see of his reality. As he began to feel again, awake from the numb, he groaned and then he screamed- thrashing at his bonds, for searing pain was arcing up his arms and in his head. The guards had to hold him down, and then blackness took him once again as the butt of a rifle struck him in the head. This was all aboard that sleek, hidden battleship in orbit above Mars, slowly pulling away as the planet would inevitably begin the launching of its fleets, and the heightening of its scans. What horror was the Earth committing?

***

On the surface, things were quickly going south. Soldiers were mobilizing, Government Employees were all called up on duty, and the populace was going wild. They cheered and shouted in the streets in celebration of the war on Earth. For them, the Emperor and his family were so very precious…not tyrants nor faceless dictators as they had come to view Earth and its nations as. Those poor unfortunate Earthlings caught on the planet, be they visiting or on vacation or what have you…were torn to pieces by the mobs. Some were shot in the streets, others hauled off to be brought to the soldiers…whatever one’s fate, it wasn’t pretty. Some of the women were even raped in the streets- in those seedier places the soldiers took longer to establish order in. So war was ushered in, in an echoing throng of applause…

[Mistress]

By mistake the girl stumbled into the wrong alleyway, pushed by the roaring crowd. She came upon a pair of men shoving a woman around, she was deffinately a Terran, the barcode on her wrist was proudly being displayed for one to cut it off. When she screamed, they laughed and threw themselves on her as she bleed into the street they tore her insides apart and celebrated.

Niki hid behind the dumpster, waiting for their bootclicks to fade away into the crowded main streets before even attempting to look. A peek around the side and the dying woman gave her last breath to her, black-brown eyes targetting her own blue ones.

"Run ... " it was only a whisper, but she heard it loud and true. All Niki could do was attempt to find a way back to Earth now that the starports would be crowded with all kinds of people, and the Earthen Embassy would soon be dust for the Martian winds to blow away.

She did run, right back into that crowd. Her blight attempt at fooling the rest of the population seemed to work, yelling and cheering, kissing random men in "celebration" of the war. No one seemed to pay her any attention, she just went with the flow of the crowd, a mob slithering towards the starport, driving out the Earthling ships, or destroying them if they weren't fast enough.

Her paranoia seemed to highten the closer she got to the starport. She felt as if someone was watching her ...

[Zeshin]

If chaos claimed the streets of Mars's cities, than it was anarchy at the Star Ports. What few police and military the respective Earth nations had on Mars were there, guns at the ready, trying desperately to mobilize a defense against the rampaging citizens. They'd never expected this, and had been completely caught off guard...but they had the advantage of always having controlled the Star Ports. They controlled the gates, they controlled the ships- Martian officials had eternally allowed this, even when they'd become their own sovereignty, as a gesture of peace. Thus, it would help in slowing down the Martian assailants now but...it would hardly hold them off for long.

Inside the ports, Terran citizens were scrambling for whatever flights they could find that might take them off the planet surface. Rumors were filtering in that Martian soldiers were marching on the Ports soon- not to kill, but to enslave. The mobs would beat them there though, and that was the true horror facing the Terrans, because after all, they knew what those people were doing to their fellows in the streets. Wars had a bad habit of driving men mad. Fortunately, despite the current situation, the Emperor remained kind to a degree, in that he refused to fire upon innocent civilians: the departing ships would not be shot at.

It was at New Antioch, the largest city on Mars, that Captain Baldric Durnst of the American Military Forces was mounting a defense at his Space Port. The gates were locked down, except for key fallback points, and everything that could be moved was put into barricade efforts throughout the halls and at the front entrance to the structure, with soldiers armed and ready to hit the incoming crowds (the one Niki happens to be in). He had but 30 men strong...but he intended to make them count while the ships were still evacuating...

[Mistress]

She was pressed against the tall black bars of the starport gates and the roaring mob behind her wouldn't cease. It was hurting a bit and she could breathe slightly, but the gates slid down into the ground to open and had no way for her to climb. The military were gathering and fear-filled blue eyes widened even more. They were planning something.

Molotov cocktails were thrown over the gates, they splashed their fire onto the ground, just before the front line of American troops. Aggrivation was rising and the mob started to turn into a full blown riot.

She reached out, barcoded wrist in sight for the armorclad men to see. Making no noise, she hoped no one else behind her would see. The wave of people pressed against the bars again and she knocked her head against the dense metal, a few drips of blood ran into her right eye and she started to see red, though still she reached out for her people, hoping they wouldn't leave the slavegirl behind.

[Zeshin]

"Shit, captain that girl's a Terran!" The captain's eyes darted to and fro amidst the crowd, finally spotting Niki, crushed up against the gate. He cursed under his breath, but did his best not to lose his concentration. He continued walking up and down the line of soldiers, behind their makeshift barricade, as it began to catch aflame from the molotovs. "We can't risk opening the gates for her...much as I hate to let one of our citizens die, we simply can't do it. One girl, or all of us, and all those men and women still struggling for the ships behind us...understand that men?" They all gave their hoarse replies, guns aimed at the crowd beating on the front gate.

Suddenly, another voice sprung to life from the men's earpieces, "Captain, sir, Martian military's about five minutes out, and they don't look happy. They're likely to dispurse the mobs, but I doubt any of us want to be around when they get here." It was Jenkins, the officer Baldric had stationed in the security office of the Star Port. Shocked by how quickly the military had mobilized, Baldric hurriedly gave the order to open fire on the crowd bashing the front gate. He was kind enough, however, to order their fire away from Niki, specifically...

***

Why do they bring such pain? What did I ever do to them? Was it my fault at all? It couldn't have been...they were always the cruel ones. What do they do to me now? No, sleep, I need sleep... But why do they keep me alive? Am I here as a guinea pig? Am I here just for the joy torture? I don't deserve this...no one deserves this...

The scientists gathered 'round as the boy floated peacefully in the large tube, a form of stasis-inducing liquid surrounding him. Their experiments were going well, and thanks to their efforts, the Earth would finally have its childish little war to put down Mars, and reclaim it as their own. They were content in their duties, and well aware how safe they were in Mars' orbit, as dozens of ships flew them by, bearing the Terran visitors of Mars back to Earth...

[Mistress]

The pressure finally gave and she sunk to her knees. Screams echoed around her and she covered her ears, blood splashing onto her tattered clothes. Though she was not a target, those behind her were and a stray bullet logged itself into her left shoulder. She cried out and fell down, just as the mob's screams were starting to dissapate in a rush.

Martian millitary were indeed on the way and the people wanted to stay as far away from this firefight as possible. Many stragglers of course littered the entryway of the starport, many more were dead on the ground or dying.

Niki was neither, she brought a hand up to her shoulder and whimpered slightly, the pain not yet setting in, shock still holding the adrenaline within her body. The young girl looked around her, eyes blurry, about ready to feint. It seemed that no other Earthling had made it this far, but she hoped someone would.

Ships could be seen taking off and speeding away, way beyond port speed, trying their might to make it off this rock. Then it was dark.

[Zeshin]

"Son of a bitch...Jenkins, open the main security gate, now!" Baldric shouted furiously into the earpiece, starting to make a path through their makeshift barricade. Several other soldiers assisted, but the majority remained where they were, guns trained on the hall, and the front doors beyond the security gate, where a few Martian stragglers remained. They were disoriented though, and shocked by the sudden departure of their fellows- they posed no threat. When the metal security gate raised up finally, Baldric slid underneath and quickly spotted Niki. Gripping her by the leg, he proceeded to drag her back under the gate, and towards the barricade.

"She dead, boss?"

"Nah, just unconcious but still...damn it, she's going to have to stay here at the barricade with us. I can't spare one of you boys to take her into the main plaza with the other refugees..." He turned suddenly, howling into the earpiece, "Jenkins, why the hell aren't you closing the gate back down?" There was a moment of silence, then the clicking of computer keys rapidly being hit and then...Jenkins' voice returned.

"Well sir," he gulped, "it seems the Martian military sent in some scouts ahead of their forces. The power's just been..." The lights above suddenly went out in a heartbeat. Jenkins continued a moment later, "...been taken out, sir. I can't close the security gates, so your little fight here, fall back, fight here, fall back plan isn't gonna fly. Sorry, but I'm heading to the main plaza wit the refugees...wait for the next ship out of here." THere was static, which made every single soldier there cringe, and then silence. Baldric roared, demaning that the officer get back to work but, there was no reply.

Hurling the ear piece aside, Baldric turned to his men and fumed, "God damn it! Someone grab the girl, we've got to fall back to the main plaza. It's the only remotest hope we've got of putting up a defense now. Leave the barricade...might buy us a minute or two at least..." He stormed ahad of the men, leading the way down the long corridor towards the main plaza, where only about 20 Terrans still waited for a shuttle. Sadly for them, the two shuttles left were still being refueled...and now was not a good time for that.

[Mistress]

The violent shaking of the men running, along with the military issue boots slamming against the metal floors, woke the girl. She looked up to the masked military face that carried her to the refugee shuttles. Niki didn't speak, she waited until they stopped running.

When they did stop running, yelling began, the ships were underfueld and may not make it out of the starport. The fact that the electricity was out startled her, there wasn't much time before the Martians arrived in the hanger.

What also startled her was that the military did open the gate to save her, wich may have been a grave mistake. Her arm burned and she reached over to touch it, hissing as pain seared through her, making her grit her teeth.

[Zeshin]

"Alright, set her down. Set up positions here. Start taking whatever you can move, and hurl it over to set up a barricade here. Remember, we're buying time for these folks and we need to make ourselves count for something. Let's start with th-" Baldric froze with the sound of his interruption- an thunderous boom that resonated down the hall ways and into the main foyer. "Fuck...we're running low on time."

The twenty or so remaining refugees were horrified. Some started screaming, others started crying, but all were going wild. Several of the marines had to step aside to get them under control...but then, could anyone blame them?

Looming over Niki, Baldric spoke calmly again, "Someone take her over to one of the refugee families left, alright? Somebody needs to look after her, and we certainly can't do that now. Alright people, lock and load, it'll just be a minute or two now before they arrive." He ran his hand nervously through his short brown hair, unholstering his own pistol as he walked back to his men. The main Foyer was trouble...there were two doors to cover here, and that was a definite problem. If the Martians hit from both, the battle would go a lot quicker for them...Tension in the building was at its peak, as two small children stared out the massive back window, watching as the crews toiled furiously away on re-fueling the ships.

***

Transcript of Meeting between Dr. Rose Jefferson and the Captain of Unknown Battleship. Top Secret Classification. Original transcript and one copy to be delivered to the Captain, original tape to be destroyed.

Dr. Jefferson: Sir, the subject is showing the anticipated side effects to the operations. Nausea, convulsions, wild dillusions, and eratic aggressive behavior. His mind seems to be resisting the neural drug we slipped into the tank with him though, sir.

Captain: I see. So what is the problem?

Dr. Jefferson: Though it goes against orders, sir, I think the project should be abandoned. This is overly cruel, and we are not certain it shall even work. The subject...

Captain: Your concerns and complaints were noted in your essay to the proper authorities on Earth, Doctor. I advise you to continue your work without any furth, or you will be stripped of your position here and put somewhere far lower. We need absolute faith in the members of this mission...if we can't have that, they disappear.

Dr. Jefferson: Yes, sir. I reluctantly add then that the experiment is on schedule. His body seemed to reject the treatments at first, obviously, but now it seems more as if its given up. Your guards have had to forcibly put him back to sleep every time we've woken him though, sir.

Captain: He's a fighter, what do you want? Is that all your findings, Doctor?

Dr. Jefferson: Well in regards to the Alien th-

*The Captain instructed that the following exchange between him and Dr. Jefferson be omitted from the two copies of the transcript*

[Mistress]

She was dumpped off with a family who reluctantly took her in, they already had enough to worry about, with three children of their own. Buckling her into the seatbelt, the family anxiously stared out the window to view the soldiers as their oncoming enemy continued to frighten everyone, knocking the rest of the lighting and hesitating in their initial assault.