Federation: Galactic Resource Wars

Year I: Act 4: Cutting losses

Sector 1: almost completely uninhabited
System: DR
Planet: DR-1M

The few remaining Synox forces had pushed Federation back inside the control building. Triopal was cornered alone, against 24 soldiers and a tank. Her scout's plating was wearing off and multiple alarms and error messages were flooding her comms. She was burried under thousands of bullet shells as her disposal system was long since recked. Her Lazer blaster was blown off due to a malfunction and her ammunition was quickly lessening in numbers. She screams in tears as her hands furiously hold down the trigger controls, while outside her cockpit, enemy bodies keep exploding and dissecting. Tango had also gone dark after the comm antenna explosion. She was alone.

But after a little while, even though her attackers were gaining an advantageous position, they disengage, panicked. Even though Triopal was beyond confused, she welcomed that moment to take a breath with vigor. As Synox forces were near the main gate exit, she shoots the mechanism, dropping the heavy door, and crushing their enemies, pools.of blood and crushed bone, staining the heavy door, while locking the surviving members of their enemies in.

"Drop your weapons! Give up! Don't try anything stupid!"

She heard her allied soldiers shout, closing in around the trapped batch. She lets out a deep sigh of relief, powers down her scout and closes her eyes, relaxing her body and laying amongst bullet shells, the cockpit being flooded by the coppery smell of bullets, blood and gun powder. They had won.

The storm had calmed off and the deep black color of the sky gave way to a numb grey. The frigate was smocking off, circuits still burning after the strike. The command units were also damaged due to the storm and the frigate's bombardments. The perimeter was filled with debris and bodies, from both sides, remnants of a fierce battle. Inside the control building, the main docking station was also littered with corpses, pools of blood and destroyed vehicles. It was so quiet. So silent. The remaining Synox soldiers had given up, and were restrained, placed in a circle around an automatic robotic cannon. One move and they would get shot.

Tayler had made it safely back to the base, even though, as had Triopal morbidly predicted, he was accompanied by no one else. As night fell, everyone calmed down. Tomorrow morning, the outpost dispatch would arrive. They had rightfully won it.

Tayler dropped his suit on the ground. Triopal was already naked on their bed and was preparing his bandages. She cleans his wound, massages him with her body. She gives him a tender kiss to relax his painful expression, as the disinfectant made a burning sound. Her hands softly brushed his body.

"Who did this to you, baby?"

Whispered Triopal in his ear, working her way lower on his body with her hands. Tayler let out a cracked sigh, and a tear rolled down his eyes.

"You..., will hate this answer..."

Triopal let out a whale of pure mourning, as Tayler told her what had happened. She fell into his arms crying her eyes out, scratching his back as her nails dug into him.

"My father! My beloved father!"

She screamed as she cried, faces of fury and absolute sadness alternating.

"I can't believe he betrayed us! And I can't believe you killed him!" She shouts under her sobbing.

A new wave of whales follow. He just stays there, silent, holding her in his arms with his eyes closed, trying to calm her down with soft pets on her head. She had to understand that this was war. It would be either him, or her traitorous father. He knew it would take time for her to get over the double hit. It was only her first deployment. He kissed her softly as she continued crying herself to sleep. Exhausted, she passes out and he lays beside her, locked into a tight embrace. "I'm sorry!"