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Human Colonization, Jovian Moon Campaign Chapter 3
Posted By: Spartan-507<destroyer3707@aol.com>
Date: 3 April 2005, 2:19 AM


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UNCA Headquarters
Sydney, Australia
Earth
April 16, 2160
12:12 Hours

Captain Frank Kingsley shifted uneasily from side to side as he waited for his debriefing. Two days ago, he and his crew had destroyed the Frieden cruiser Peace and War. He had thought it to be a great success. Obviously the brass didn't think so, he thought, or else they wouldn't have ordered a second debriefing.

As he stood there, the large metal doors opened, and a soldier beckoned him in. He walked in towards the center of the room and stood straight. "Sir!", he said as he saluted. "At ease", said General Marcus Admarand. He offered Frank a seat, but he politely declined.

"Alright Captain, let me get to the point. The Peace of War, the cruiser you so easily found and destroyed had more than just Frieden forces on board." Kingsley gripped his wrist so hard his knuckles turned white and said "I don't understand sir." Admarand exhaled deeply and said "That damn ship was carrying twenty three UNCA P.O.W.s that carried very important intel! Were you so stupid that you thought they would just transmit a communication out in the open without encrypting it?! And didn't you think it was unusual that the ship stayed at the same spot from which they transmitted the message? They wanted you to attack!"

All the blood had left Kingsley's face. He was shaking. Sweat drenched his uniform. Admarand stood up and said "I'm demoting you, Sergeant. As of now, I'm heading this campaign. Now get the hell outta my office!"

Traloch Station
Mars-Jupiter Asteroid Mining Field
April 21, 2160
05:43 Hours

J.T. Everett stared at the ceiling, trying to get to sleep. His bunk was uncomfortable and his room was freezing. He stood up and began pacing the room. He flexed his metal prosthetic arm as he did. After his ill-fated mission on Io, he had undergone surgery and received the arm. Then he was taken off of active duty and given one of the lowest jobs in the UNCA: a tritium fuel miner. The asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter was full of the fuel necessary to run their ships.

He put on his standard issue uniform, a blue long sleeve with black pants and shoes, grabbed his military issue magnum and exited his dormitory, while his roommate slept peacefully. He exited the dormitories section, and strode to the elevator. He punched in the code for the Administration Level, and leaned back against the elevator as it rocketed through kilometers of rock. The elevator came to a stop, and the doors pinged open, and he stepped out.

The Administration Level had many functions, such as monitoring the amount of fuel in the depots, sending the asteroid drift charts to incoming ships as they tried to enter the field to dock and refuel, and facilitate communications with other planets. J.T.'s job was to send the asteroid drift charts. He remembered how many times they told him not to forget to send the charts, because if he did, any ship entering the field without the charts would be crushed by the gigantic asteroids.

He sat at his station, which was the only station with an outside view, and looked at whom he was working with today: Jim Baker, the guy who sends the hail out to oncoming ships to wait for the charts, and Lorreta Gonzalez, the woman that tells the ships where to dock on the station. Traloch Station was just one of three hundred fifty nine fuel stations.

He sat their for about five hours, sending the charts whenever a ship sent a docking codes.
His station beeped, informing him that a ship was en route to the station. Jim sent the hail, but received no response. He tried again but still there was silence. J.T. sent the asteroid drift charts anyway and Lorreta attempted to communicate. "This is Traloch Station. Please answer over."
Still no response. She tried again and said "If you can hear me, you cannot enter this space unless you respond." Finally, a voice came on and said "I'm low on fuel. Where can I dock?"
Lorreta answered and said "Docking Bay 5. May I ask who I am speaking too?" The com went dead.
A few minutes later, the ship flew into view. It was marked with holes in the hull, evident that it had just been in battle. J.T. stared at the ship as it stopped next to the asteroid and the fuel pipe connected to their fuel intake valve, and as the docking station connected to theirs and opened up. Something was strange about this ship, that was for sure. It had a UNCA id tag, but it wasn't a model he had seen before. It reminded him of some other class of ship, a Rickenbacker-class frigate. He knew of only one group of people that used those ships...

Multiple shots rang out as men dressed in full black gas masks with orange eye covers ran in, shooting all the personnel they could find. More men ran in, as more shots rang out. J.T. looked to his left and saw Jim slumped over in his chair, three bullet holes in his chest. Lorreta took out her magnum, but was stopped with a flurry of bullets. J.T. dove from his chair and ran to an adjacent station and took cover. He withdrew his magnum and took aim. He fired at the nearest man, which fell to the floor dead. He ran to him, dragged him to the station mere meters away, and picked up the fallen man's gun, an A4-GT, a powerful assault rifle. He fired and took cover. He looked at the man's armor. He had a shoulder patch that contained the Italian flag with two swords in the middle. He was a Frieden.





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