Thread: Romeo, Juliet, and the Black

In another time Norik would perhaps have paused to appreciate the female form before him, the quick gracefulness of her movements, the strange beauty that Martian women held so similar and different to anything found on Earth. But the blade in her hand dispelled many of these thoughts, and when she struck he thought of her only as an enemy. He slipped away from her blade and slashed his own, only to have her avoid his strike as deftly as he had dodged hers. The dance continued in deathly silence, blades flickering as men died over their radios. Once he thought he had her but did not strike, suddenly sure that her counterblow would end his life even as she died. The woman broke the silence first, demanding to know why he was here. Surely that was obvious, but he never could resist a chance to taunt the enemy. The shadow gave no verbal answer to her demand, merely raised his free hand with his fingers outstretched in the shape of a gun. He pointed it directly at her chest before his fingers jerked, pulling the 'trigger.' For an instant he thought the simple threat had driven her to madness as she lunged, but her blow was only there to keep him back as she pressed a small tab onto a data bank. Almost immediately the AI began to warn him, the tab flickering red in his HUD as live, unstable explosives were detected. But then there was a gun in her hands, and he had no choice but to duck behind a data bank as she began to run. The AI had already warned his men, and suddenly supporting reports came of tabs upon some of the enemy. They want to blow the place, Norik suddenly realized, and there was no time to be sure. They're detonating, fall back and escape, he demanded over the radio. Quickly he dashed back and yanked the autohack, ignoring the AI complaints as he bolted from the room mere moments before the entire room exploded. Other explosions could be heard as he ran, further detonations ripping through the factory's structure and shattering its supports. It seemed pure luck that he made it back to his ship, its airlock slamming shut behind him as the clamps released and it flung itself away from the dying satellite. In the void he could watch the explosions continue, silent orange blossoms appearing as munitions cooked off. Check in, he called out, and the pause was longer then he would have liked before the reports came in. Four had made it back to their ships. Three others had not, but their pressurized suits had kept them alive as they bailed out of a shattered hull. Of the rest there was no sign. He waited as long as he could before finally nodding. All inactive Shadows are KIA. Cleanup. Amidst the explosions, five armored suits brightly flared, five sets of equipment began to glow, until nothing but dust remained of the fallen. No evidence. Silence in the void, respect for the fallen. At last Norik keyed in the command to return, and the ships began their trek back towards the command ship. It hung in deep orbit around Mercury, and was officially a diplomatic vessel to discuss relations between Mercury and New Earth. Officially, it had no military capabilities whatsoever. Very few people actually believed that, though they would be hard pressed to find the proof of it. Eventually, Mercury Security Forces responded to the reports of explosions in Sara's Necklace. They found the facility completely destroyed, with only a barest fraction of the materiel within recoverable. Also found were two Martian troop transports, both with their engines seemingly destroyed in the blasts, and over a dozen bodies of ISTC Black Light troops. Of the enemy forces responsible, whoever they may be, there was no sign. As the world was technically at peace with both of the system's superpowers, and there was no reason for Martian military forces to be upon the Necklace , the diplomatic channels almost immediately exploded with indignation and demands for explanations. While the pundits shouted, the cooler heads who were in charge demanded that the ISTC send their diplomats as well as a representative from Black Light to answer some pressing questions. Terran diplomats were not technically invited to attend, but it was understood that they would be showing up anyway. Earthdate September 22 Superhabitat 4, Quicksilver , Administrative Wing, Mercury Orbit Norik hated his dress uniform. But the Shadows did not exist, and so he endured the overly starched cloth and ridiculous ceremonial fripperies upon it as he walked stiffly behind Envoy Morrovic into the massive audience chamber. Someone was already speaking loudly as they entered, another Terran representative who had gained the floor. There are only two conclusions to be drawn, sir. Either Martian forces failed to protect your satellites from terrorists, or they themselves were the terrorists. In either situation, I fail to understand why you are so adamant in your defense of the ISTC's 'protections.'