103634-rocios-story-to-farside

== Content ==
			
Previous Chapter: https://forums.wildstar-online.com/forums/index.php?/topic/102067-rocios-story-geist/
 
Rocio's story now enters a new and exciting arc! What dangers and discoveries await on the Nexus Moon?
 
And Introing the Chua!!!
 
Chapter 13: To Farside
 
******************
 
Rocio knew where Farside was: a great FCON base on the moon.  Dorian Walker was there, as was Durek Stonebreaker. They were all trying to unlock Eldan experiments installed on and beneath the surface.  Before he left on the shuttle, Lucy gave him a datachron of her findings regarding his augmentation and instructed him to give it to the lead scientist in case more information could be found and shared.
 
“The moon is like Nexus: Pregnant with peril.  Your return is required to resume our research.”
 
Rocio shouldered his belongings outside the FCON shuttle area.  “Is that Mordesh for ‘Don’t die?’”
 
Lucy stared at him for a moment.  She then walked toward him, crouched down to his level and hugged him.  Rocio, wide eyed, gave her a hug back.
 
She let him go, smiled a bit and then, as though nothing had happened at all, she turned and gave him a wave over her shoulder as she walked away.
 
“Lucy…” Rocio stared after her, long after she had vanished into the crowd, until the whistle signaling all-aboard sounded.
 
He wasn’t the only one heading up to the moon. It was the newest frontier on a land of frontiers. Eager explorers, scientists, settlers, and soldiers were working to make sure that the Exiles got a better foothold than the Dominion.  He was given a suit that was supposed to make it possible to move and breathe on the moon, as well as a durable helmet.  He couldn’t wear his usual mask with it, but he had a cloth one that covered over his eye with a silver patch and concealed much of the green pulsating omniplasm conduits on his face.
 
Most of the soldiers onboard were recent recruits. Not only was the Dominion getting pushy, but Ikthians were starting to make inroads, capturing and kidnapping Dominion citizens and Exiles alike. Now every Explorer and Scientist wanted a small force of Soldiers at their side to make sure everything stayed whole and secure.
 
Rocio was surprised to find that most of the recruits were Aurin.  The shuttle was full of chatter in the Arborian language. It made Rocio feel immediately at ease, even though the last time he had been on a shuttle full of his own kind it had been the worst moment in his life.
 
“Looking for a seat?”  A young woman waved him over, her ears carefully covered by the space suit cloth. Through her helmet her face had bright yellow eyes set in a deep blue skin.  As he sat down she introduced herself. “I’m Pasha Sunleap. That  one over there,” She pointed around him, “Is Tahm Loneflower.”
 
The other Aurin looked at him.  “You have one eye?”
 
“Um… Yeah I got hurt.”
 
Pasha gasped, looking at his face through the visor in his helmet. “Oh wow I didn’t notice. Does it hurt?”
 
“Not really.” Rocio said, avoiding her gaze.  “Are you going to fight the Dominion?”
 
“I hope not!” Pasha responded. “I’m just here to heal the wounded.  Tahm is going to fight the Dominion but, then again, he’s used to that.”
 
“Is that how you lost your eye?” Tahm asked.
 
“No, I almost lost my ear to a Mechari though.”
 
Tahm’s eyes widened. “You fought a Mechari and lived? How?”
 
“I hurt it… It’s kinda hard to explain. It all happened really fast.”
 
“That’s amazing,” Pasha sighed. “You’ll have to tell me more about it when we get there.”
 
Rocio blushed.  “Yeah I guess.”
 
Liftoff goes a lot smoother when one is not on a rescue shuttle.  Rocio didn’t even throw up after they reached a point of Zero Gravity.  Aurin crowded the windows, oohing and ahhhing at the sight of Nexus below. Rocio had never focused on how pretty the planet was.  It was covered in blues and greens. Its twin rings made it look almost like a jewel in space. He liked how the rings appeared to him in the night but looking at them from the other side of the sky was simply awe inspiring.
 
His commlink beeped in a way that let him know that this message was classified and over a secure connection. Rocio drifted away from the window to a private area and answered.
 
“This is The Jabbit.”
 
“We’re a secure connection; we may use our names here. This is Nikolai, lead of the strike team you’ll be joining.  I’m forwarding the information to your datachron regarding your mission here.  I’ve heard good things about you, Rocio.”
 
“I won’t let you down!” Rocio eagerly responded.
 
“The mission begins as soon as you arrive. Be ready.”
 
Rocio pulled his pack from where it was strapped under his seat and rummaged for his datachron, but then realized that Tahm was staring at him. “Everything okay?”
 
“Yeah.” It was okay to say he was a Black Hood recruit, but Thresh had beaten caution into him and he put his pack back under his seat.  “I’ll look for that… later.”
 
But Tahm eyed him suspiciously. Even when Pasha tried to get his attention, he pretended not to hear.  “Who are you with? Why are you going to Farside?”
 
His interest in him made Rocio nervous.  “I’m going to fight the Dominion.” He said, ignoring the first question.
 
Tahm continued to watch him as Pasha dragged him back over to the window.
 
As soon as they landed, Rocio got away from him by pretending to have left something in the shuttle and cutting around the shuttle to duck behind some crates.  He fished out the machine and started playing back a dossier of facts.
 
His main objective was assassinating a Chua engineer.  Her picture appeared on the datachron.  Her name was Sata.
 
*************************************
 
Far from where Rocio was watching his datachron, the Dominion shuttles were ushered onto the landing pads with alacrity and precision.   Farside awaited them, with all its technological and scientific treasures.  But Sata, Overseer of the Optos collective, was in a very foul mood.  Her eyes flicked to where her masterpiece was strapped down and covered with a tarp. A small glimpse of gleaming metal glimmered in the dull light of the cargo hold.
 
They should be mass producing her machine. They should be launching them against the Exiles.  But no. Rejected for more testing.  Ingrates!  Her teeth chittered with barely contained fury.  Beside her, her mate Drugger stroked her hair even though he knew that she was one moment away from chewing off his fingers.  He knew how hurt she had been over D.R.E.D’s review and he knew someone would pay dearly for it.  But he also knew it probably wouldn’t be him.
 
As an expert machinist, he was one of the few people who had seen her device, much less worked on it.  Thanks to her brilliant designs and his strength and dexterity, as well as the assistance of their extended collective, they had been able to build the prototype known as “Daggerclaw” in record time.  She had been so deliriously happy when she had displayed its deadly capability to the one known as Mondo Zax and his cohorts.  But they had been completely bored by it.
 
Sata was still not over the rejection.
 
Her tail slammed against the metal wall of the shuttle and she hissed multiple Chua curses under her breath.  The cargo hold opened.  She hurried to the machine.
 
A Draken cargo tech entered the hold and saw her fiddling with the straps to unload it. He grunted with amusement. “Stand back. We will handle the cargo.”
 
Sata rounded on him, aiming her twin pistols at both his eyes. “You do nothing, Rot Breath!” She kicked him hard in the shins and he staggered back with a roar. She shrieked. “Get out!”
 
About two dozen chua minions entered the hold carrying long poles and laughing at the limping Draken. “How’s that feel? Not so clever? Not so strong?” A large Chua chuckled in delight.  It was Coax, Drugger’s favorite son. “No more smiles?”
 
“Optos minons insert poles!”
 
As one, they expertly slid the poles into hidden rings.
 
“Optos! Heave! Ho!”
 
The low gravity of the moon meant that lifting the device was no problem.  They carried it while it was still covered over.
 
“Hup! Hup! Hup!” They shouted in unison.
 
Sata followed barking orders. “Careful! Not too fast! Watch your step! Don’t let the cover slip! No one must see!”
 
Drugger was on the other side. “Be sure there is no damage!  It touches the ground, I use you for target practice!”
 
They moved the machine and all its equipment into a storage silo and slammed the door. A chua hit the lights; there were at least a hundred in the silo, setting up and calibrating the hydrolic lifts, the cranes, the electronic diagnostic machines and the power supplies.
 
Sata took a deep breath. “Aaaaah my love, my beauty!”  Her mercurial mood had swung to a more favorable side as she gazed up at her machine, though it was still under the tarp.  “If only theywere not blind!”
 
“But they can yet see, my dear Sata.”
 
Sata turned to Drugger, her eyes flickering with annoyance. “They were blind, why they see now?”
 
“They could see.  Mondo Zax returned the machine for… testing….”
 
Her teeth chattered again. “She is perfect!  Her balance:  perfect! Her guns: perfect! She is –“
 
“Ready for battle…” he crooned. “Farside is her proving ground. Not a lab. Oh no.”
 
She gave him a long searching look.  Sata did not tolerate flattery; after all, she knew perfectly well how ingenious her designs were.  However, taking her prize possession into battle was not something she had considered before.  Her nose twitched as she mulled it over. “What if she is damaged?”
 
Drugger was appalled. “Damaged? Her armor? How much did you work?  Surely, no...”
 
She continued to stare at him, looking for any sign of dishonesty or malice.  But the idea was appealing to her and he knew it.   “I will need to pick a battle. Insure victory.”
 
“Of course, Sata… Urp!”
 
She placed the muzzle of her pistol between his eyes. She smiled but her gaze was cold. “Overseer.” Sata pressed it harder against his head, enunciating each syllable of her title through her bared teeth. “Sly Drugger.  If any harm comes to Daggerclaw, you will be the one to pay.” She pushed him away and ordered everyone out of the lab.
 
They filed out as quickly as they could, for Sata was hurrying to unwrap her machine.  If anyone was left inside the silo when the tarp fell away, they would be shot. Her psychotic sensitivity to her copywritten designs was merited. Much of what she had accomplished would have taken far longer had she not snooped on her overly trusting older sisters.  Being the middle child meant that she was always one step behind them, but now she was in front, their collectives were now merged with hers.  She was far beyond all her siblings and she would not jeopardize any of that.
 
The tarp floated to the ground. Sata walked around her machine, stroking its long legs and inspecting it for any damage. It was a work of art. Modeled after the daggerclaws of Farside, it was bipedal, with two machine guns on each side and an extendable rocket launcher in front.  Two large booster engines meant that even were it to be knocked back it could regain its balance. It could even fly short distances or be dropped from an aircraft.  Its shins were extraordinarily powerful. A single kick could roll over an Exile tank. It could jump and land and take falls. 
 
But for all its ruggedness, it also contained gyroscopes and extendable arms that consisted of hundreds of joints that maintained balance and performed delicate procedures. It had taken countless hours to calibrate these parts.  The thought of one of those empty-headed Exile braggarts throwing a stone at it made her blood boil.  But she had to do something. 
 
Mondo could not put her Daggerclaw into his dustbin.
 
That night, the minions gathered into a dingy hall, where they were eating and drinking and resting up for the long days ahead. They were all related somehow but, near the back of the room,Sata’s immediate family all sat together and eyed each other suspiciously.  Coax, the eldest and largest sat next to Drugger.  His younger brother Catfive was eating his soup and keeping an eye on his sisters, Heliax and Yuesby who were preening themselves and moaning about what the space helms were doing to their hair.
 
But when Sata appeared, through an upper door and stood over the room from the metal fire escape, a hush fell over them all.  She was not dressed in her usual overalls, dingy from the day’s work.  No, this time she was sporting full Dominion regalia.  A swirling hooded red cape emblazoned with the golden Dominion insignia swept up ribbons of dust as she strode toward them. Her steel-heeled boots sent up sparks as they hit the metal walkway. From her ears dangled multiple precious gemstones hailing from all the worlds of the Dominion’s reign.
 
She addressed her minions in sharply pointed sentences. “Our time has come.  Here on this rock, we make our name.  By morning, all will take arms. Our collective will move out to our camp. And we will be ready to fight!”
 
A cheer went up among the minions. They scurried to where their supplies were held and squabbled and traded and fought over all manner of weapons, explosives and armors.  They smashed open boxes and passed down assault rifles, sniper rifles, pistols, missile launchers, grenades, and mines.  They battled in tug-of-war for the last magazines and boxes of bullets. Sata leaned over the railing, watching them.  Heliax approached her with a plate of food. Sata looked over her daughter. She was decked out in combat armor, a long rifle d*cupcake*d across her back.
 
Sata took the food and set it aside. “What say Heliax? Are they all ready to follow orders?”
 
She nodded her head, her eyes wide and innocent. “Yes, mum. All but two. My oldest cousins.  Tonight, they try to break Daggerclaw.”
 
Sata tickled her daughter’s chin approvingly.  “Go.  Take care of them now.”
 
*********************************
 
A pure white female Aurin named Malinea Evenbranch stood on a crate next to her twin sister, Marina Windstar.  She raised her hands over her head.
 
“Ready! Set!  Go!”  She dropped her hands and watched as two male Aurin took off running.
 
On an Aurin scale they were incredibly fast, speeding around a corner of Walker’s Landing and  underneath the moving platforms.  One Koss Flintstrike began to take the lead from the other, Kam Irontail, his long legs eating up the distance with deceptive ease.
 
Kam tried to catch up to Koss but he managed to maintain his lead to the finish. They both collapsed at the foot of the two sisters, panting. 
 
“Koss wins again!” Marina cheered.
 
Koss sat up, “Good try, brother.”
 
“Good try? I was going to catch up to you. You may be a good sprinter, but I’ll maintain my speed over a distance.” Kam responded.
 
Malinea chuckled and offered them bottled water. “Everyone knows that you two are the fastest Aurin on Nexus!”
 
“And off Nexus!”
 
They were interrupted by a blaring siren that hailed the arrival of another shuttle.  Malinea frowned. “More recruits?”
 
Koss nodded. “That ol’ Durek is really wanting to get started with a full on campaign out here on this moon.”
 
“I can’t wait!” Kam stood up, aiming an imaginary weapon into the distance. “Once I get my chance out there, I’m going to send so many Dommies beyond the Weave… they’re going to call me Kam the Destroyer!”
 
Koss could barely contain himself with laughter.
 
“What’s so funny?”
 
“The last time you saw a Dommie, you about pissed yourself!”
 
“Oh lay off, I was new.”
 
“Well, I’ve got to get to work registering the new blood.” Malinea hopped off the crate and went over to the registrar’s desk.  She didn’t relish the prospect of seeing so many sent off to fight on the moon. She was more of a scientist herself. Durek had not been seen much since he had charged after a small Dominion platoon into a nest full of Falkrin with disastrous results.  But she knew that wouldn’t last long.
 
Once all the new arrivals had their names and professions registered, she took the results and began navigating the winding halls through the barracks to where the officers were stationed and worked.  Arriving at a great sliding door, she pressed the intercom button. 
 
There was no response.  She sighed and pressed the button again.
 
A gruff voice came through. “I thought I said no visitors.”
 
“It’s Malinea Evenbranch, I’m here to give you the status of the new recruits.”
 
After a brief moment, the doors slid open to a large weapons storage room.  The walls and shelves were bristling with all sorts of deadly artillery. But the one who held her rapt attention was in the middle of the room, working on a chunk of engineered metal.
 
She couldn’t quite get over how huge Durek Stonebreaker was.  Most of the weapons she could barely lift but they were like toys in his hands.  Compared to him, she was a babe of three years.  Her tail twitched nervously as the Granok looked down at her.  “So.  Report.”
 
“Oh! Right!” She babbled her report in a rush. “We’ve received threescore more recruits.  45 Aurin, 12 Granok, 8 Human.  There are also a few journalists in the ranks looking to send out a report to the people back on Nexus on how we’re faring out here as well as take a look at the differing biomes.”
 
Durek gathered a few small parts and began attaching them to his device. “You didn’t hear any of them speak of Dominion ships on the way here?”
 
“N-no sir.  The scouts reported no sightings to the east, north and west.”
 
“Tell Kerreg to come see me. You’re dismissed.”
 
“Y-yessir!” Malinea hurried off.  The door behind her slid shut.  She realized her legs were shaking.  She didn’t want to keep the Commander waiting so she ran headlong through the halls, barely dodging others in the way. “General Kerreg!”
 
“Slow down there, Missy. Where’s the fire?”  Kerreg was the quintessential military Granok in a standard issue FCON uniform. Next to him was an Aurin she’d seen at the recruiting station.  She struggled to remember his name.
 
“Oh right! Tahm Loneflower!”
 
Kerreg nodded. “That’s right. Tahm here was just letting me know something important about our Recruits.  Do you remember someone named Rocio coming through the register line?”
 
Malinea’s memory was sharp but she found herself drawing a blank.  “Rocio?”
 
Tahm nodded. “He was on the transport ship. He acted suspiciously so I reported him.”
 
“Turns out he may not be with FCON after all, but with that Black Hoods Unit that’s been creeping around here.”
 
“An Aurin… in the Black Hoods?” Malinea’s eyes widened with disbelief.
 
“Right, who knows how much intel he’s already gathered, with no one else knowing who he is.  Keep in eye on him, and be cautious, Evenbranch.”
 
“Yes sir!”
 
Kerreg stared at her a little longer, one brow raised. “I’m assuming that you came to tell me something…”
 
“Ah!” Malinea squeaked. “Right! Commander Stonebreaker asked to speak with you!”
 
Kerreg reacted with mild surprise. “Durek? Well… The boulder finally stirs. Tahm. You have your orders.”
 
Tahm nodded, his expression grim. “I’ll keep an eye on our little spy.”
 
************************************************
 
Kerreg and Durek sat together on a large bench. Durek handed him a can of beer and downed his own in a few gulps.
 
“Thirsty work, craftin’…” Kerreg remarked.
 
Durek was not amused.  “It’s too quiet out there.  The Dominion’s plannin’ something. I can feel it.”
 
“You know how they say… No news is good news.  Is it really worth bringing up a bunch of greenhorn Aurin and sending them off raising dust in the hope that they find a stray gnat?” Kerreg cracked open his beer and took a swig. “Besides they could be anywhere, but nowhere we actually need to be.  Our forces are more than enough to protect our established bases and the surrounding area…”
 
Durek roared and slammed his fist into the wall, leaving a large dent.  “More than enough!  It’s time to move out.”
 
“S-sir?”
 
“How many of our troops are necessary to protect this base?”
 
“Well… I’d say probably half the ones stationed, but you have to remember, most of them are new.  The Dominion could be bringing up seasoned fighters for all you know…”
 
“Half? Then gather up the other half and move out, they’ve been trained enough to get their hands dirty.”
 
Kerreg scowled. “Are you still so bleedin’ eaten up with hatred that you’re beyond all sense?  I know you feel bound to destroy them, but are they?”
 
Durek’s eyes hooded. “The Dominion thought they would make a sport of Gnox and we showed them that not all races are sportin’.  Still, they keep crushin’ those who can’t defend themselves.  It’s high time we put a little steel into the spines of the Aurin. If they’re going to get their planet back, they’re going to need it.  This ain’t going to go on. Not while I have something to say about it.”
 
*****************************************************
 
In the great Dining Hall at the FCON base, new recruits mingled with the established residents.  For such a remote location, they secured all sorts of delicious food thanks to the XAS advances melding Aurin Weaving with the more technical horticultural practices.  Marina, Malinea, Kam, Koss and their new friends Tahm and Pasha were making quick work of all sorts of salads and fruit. There were even desserts.
 
“You really think Rocio’s a spy?” Pasha asked, taking a big bite of a cheesy pastry.
 
“Kerreg seems to think so…” Tahm replied.
 
“I’m not one to jump to conclusions, but if Kerreg’s worried we should be.” Koss took another scoop of the vegetable soup and splashed it into his bowl. “Whoops!”
 
“Stop being such a cubig…” Marina wiped up the splattered mess.
 
Their chatter was interrupted by a three toned alert from the public address system.  After a brief moment of static, Durek’s voice came over the speakers.  “I got word that a few of our recruits are ready to see some action.  So start running your drills and checkin’ your weps. You’ll be out patrollin’ sooner than you think.”
 
The dining hall erupted with loud cheering, whooping and clapping.  Fiery-eyed and filled with the spirit of battle, they joined hands and sang songs of war, ignorant of what lay ahead.
 
 
****************************
 
Next Chapter: https://forums.wildstar-online.com/forums/index.php?/topic/107712-rocios-story-the-dagun-and-the-dawngrazer/	
----