Aeris - Guardian Force - 5. Act 2 – Prelude to War Part 3

Chapter 10:

The Stellar Naval Academy’s parade field was decorated for graduation. The graduating cadets were standing in formation, listening to the speeches from the visiting dignitaries, the Academy’s CO, and lastly the Valedictorian. Aeris was there for one of them, his Friend, Student, and, in his heart, Son, Lt. Commander J.G. John Chandler. John had just stepped up to the podium and was starting his speech when Aeris started to think back upon the last thirteen years with John and his mother Miriam. Something is wrong, Aeris thinks to himself. The text message came directly to his Heads-Up-Display (HUD) with a High Priority level.

“Commander Aeris, Guardian Force. You’re hereby ordered to proceed to the Fleet Shipyard on Titan. Full details of your undercover mission will be sent to you en route. You’ll be launching with a new ship of the line, and acting in a capacity on that ship.” He deletes the text, per s.o.p., and leans over to Miriam, “Please let John know, I won’t be able to meet him tonight. Just got a change of orders, and I have got to leave immediately.”

“I will Aeris. Stay safe.”

“I’ll do my best, but I will come home.”

Aeris slips out from the grandstand and makes his way across the parking lot to where he can catch a ride… I will come home. Something is wrong, I know it. He thinks to himself.

I’ve done this before. This is in the past, and it is not real. How? Why am I reliving this? I will come home; I’m not going to leave John, MY Son. I will come home, John. What is that screaming, that didn’t happen when I was there? A Primal scream echoes in Aeris ears, and mind, he tries to focus on it, “NNNNOOOO!!!! IT HURTS!!!!” More screaming, as it goes wordless, and just into agony and sound.

Focusing on the sound, the mental vision of the graduation ceremony clears, and he feels like he’s coming to his senses. I will come home, John. It’s a struggle to open his eyes, but Aeris finally manages it. At first, he can’t focus his eyes, and he waits. The screaming is loud now, no longer distant. Light starts to come back to him, painful at first, but soon enough all his senses are working fine. Take stock of the situation. I’m in a room, looks like a lab. I’m naked and on a table. The screaming is coming from next to me, but there is a divider, of some sort, between me and it. I can barely move, something is holding me down, but I don’t feel anything on me. He tries to sit up, but can barely lift up half an inch.

Alright, that felt different. A tingling pressure as soon as I started to move. I can work with that. Concentrating, and putting every ounce of will into it, Aeris attempts to sit up again. This time, he manages to lift a full inch, when he feels the pressure break, and he flings himself off the end of the table. He catches himself, and turns the fall into a defensive roll, ending in a crouch. Looking around he confirms he is in a lab. Two dividers are between him, and another workstation to both his left and right. The screaming was coming from his left, but it has stopped during his attempt to get up. The table he was on seemed to be a single piece of tech, molded straight from the floor. At the head of the table are some monitors, and a floating ring of various arms and instruments.

No alarm. Good sign so far. He thinks. Standing up, he shuffles quietly to the left divider, as he hears movement from over there. Peeking around the divider, he sees a scene straight out of a horror movie that makes him nauseous. Corporal Sullivan is lying on a similar style table. His mouth is moving, but no sound is coming out. It took him a moment to register why. The floating ring for his table was centered above the Corporal and was diligently working cutting into the soldier and removing both normal Cybernetic, and Bio-Cybernetic implants from his body. Aeris couldn’t tell if he was still alive, or if the body was having involuntary movements. There’s no way for me to take him with me. Fuck you, Shane… Aeris looks for some way to dispose of the Corporal’s body, but not knowing what was in the lab hampered him in doing so. He moves away from the ghastly scene towards the right divider and spots Private Jeffers. He was unconscious and naked as well. No signs of any of their armor or weapons could be found in the lab.

Aeris quickly moves to the side of the table, and tries to shake the Private awake, “Jeffers wake up! Come on Marine, we’ve got to go.” Private Jeffers would not wake, despite what Aeris did. Aeris tries to lift Jeffers arm up, and meeting no resistance, he switches to picking him up fully. Placing Jeffers in a Fireman’s Carry, he turns towards the open entrance and sprints for it. The cool floor is a little slippery, and Aeris stumbles some, as he passes through the entryway, into the hallway beyond.

~*~

*Lord Doctor, we have an issue with the other two subjects,* the alien pilot says over to his companion. *The spells failed on their leader, and he’s free now. He’s taken the other one as well.*

*How is that possible?* the alien Doctor asks. *There’s been no evidence of any of the Humans we’ve taken were resisters, nor immune to our spellwork. Check the database, Drem. I want to know everything about those Leadership Caste soldiers.*

*As you wish,* the alien pilot Drem responded. Keying commands into the console, he sat forward reading the screen. *Lord Doctor, there is nothing here. The one we captured before was killed in the process of doing so. There biological functions, are the same as normal humans, the only difference was the implants, and battle armor. They were unable to perform magical aptitude testing, for obvious reasons.*

*Those idiots. The culling team’s failure is botching our mission.* The Doctor ends his remote control of the ARS device and leaves it on autopilot. He turns his attention to the screen with the internal security monitor for the laboratory, splits screens it, and has one real time following the Humans; while the other the Doctor scrolls back to view the escape. *Unbelievable. I would never have thought it was possible.*

*What are we going to do, my Lord Doctor? We cannot leave that ship in orbit, to go down and recapture the subjects. It’s against our orders. Do we use the auto systems again?* Drem asks.

Shaking his head no, the alien Doctor says, *No. We can’t risk them building a tolerance to the sleep spells, using them in such a quick fashion. Teleportation would work, but we do not have a working cell on this ship, nor one that is accessible on the planet. Regretfully, we’re going to have to call in a Retrieval Specialist.*

Drem blanches at the idea but nods in agreement. *It may stain my honor, for failing in this mission, but I agree.*

*You did not fail Drem. The culling team from the Refuge did. They will be the ones to feel punishment. Send the request to Command.*

*As you wish, Lord Doctor,* Drem responds, and keys in the request for a specialist.

~*~

Aeris was running down the hallway blindly. Without a map, he was not sure if he was going to an exit, or deeper into the building. There were doorways on each wall, but so far the doors were all closed. Approaching a junction, the hallway he was in, connected to another in an ‘L’ shape turning to the left. Aeris closed in on the turn when a door at the junction opened at his approach. SHIT! He thinks to himself, and back peddles with Jeffers against the wall. The room beyond the door was lit up, but no one was exiting. Automatic door? Could be a trap, but worth the risk. Aeris eases Jeffers to the ground in a sitting position, and peers around the edge of the doorway. Inside is what looks like an office, and on an exterior wall, as natural light streams in through the windows.

Scoping up Jeffers over his shoulder, he walks into the office. The corner office is fairly large, with wrap around windows. A desk, desk chair, and several sitting couches and tables adorn the office. The artwork on the walls depicts scenes of nature, with strange animals and trees, but one stands out among the others, as it’s a portrait of an Alien Being. The door slides closed behind him, as Aeris lays Private Jeffers on one of the couches. Without his burden, Aeris moves freely around the office taking it all in.

Walking towards the portrait, Aeris examines it, getting a look of the Alien Race, whose planet they were on. Bipedal, humanoid, very human looking, but blue skinned with grayish-white hair. After studying the portrait, Aeris moves to the window, to see where they are. Well, at least we’re still in the city, Aeris thinks to himself. Pretty high up in the tower, and I see no way to open this window, nor have anything that might break it. Surveying the room again, Aeris notices that like the dissection lab, all the furniture in this office looks like it was grown up from the floor. Even the cushions on the couch, as comfortable as they feel, are seamlessly part of the whole object.

Over the next ten minutes, Aeris searches the office for any form of Intel he might be able to take with him. Suddenly, his HUD starts back up, with a diagnostic readout of his cybernetic implants. Good, the mini-comp and display are back online. He commands his system, to ping his battle armor, seeing if he can establish a link. Yes, it’s connecting. Run suit diagnostics… There, the radio is working. Can’t get a voice message out, but can send a text. Aeris spends a few moments to draft the message and then transmits it to the Prometheus. He walks over to Private Jeffers while awaiting a response back.

“Private, wake up. I need you awake Marine,” he instructs to the sleeping Private. “Damn. What did they do to you?” Aeris starts to look Jeffers over, for signs of an injection. He runs his hands over his chest, arms, and neck feeling for anything odd, that night of been implanted. Looking, lower, Aeris contemplates if he should wait before he feels down there when he notices Jeffers is starting to stir. “Good, Marine wake up. Had I known tickling you would work, I would have done it earlier.”

With slow, stuttering movements, Jeffers opens his eyes, and slurs out, “Where…am…I?”

“Private, this is Commander Aeris. Take a bit to get focused. We have some issues.”

“Yes…Sir,” Jeffers responds, “I…can…focus…but…it is hard… to move, and talk.”

“Alright, here’s the situation. We were captured, along with Corporal Sullivan. He’s dead. We all were stripped naked, and place in a coma. I came to first, and grabbed you and ran. We’re now in an office in the same building as the lab we were in. Got that?”

“Yes, sir… got it. What happened to Sully?” Jeffers said a bit more normally. He was recovering quicker now that his adrenaline was flowing.

“I’ll spare you details, but they had started to remove implants from him,” Aeris responded with a grim tone and look. “I wish there was something I could have done.”

“Thank you, Sir,” the Private responds as he moves to a sitting position.

“As much as this is completely fucked up, you don’t have to call me Sir. Not until we get rescued. Now, stand up, please. I need to finish checking you, to see if you were implanted with any devices.”

Jeffers complies, with Aeris and stands up. Already on his knees, Aeris proceeds to run his hands over the Privates legs, backside, and crotch area. Satisfied that he didn’t feel anything out of place, Aeris stands up, spreads his legs some, and sticks his arms out to his sides, “OK, it’s William right? I need you to rub me like I just did to you, and tell me if feel anything that doesn’t feel like it should be there.”

“Just Will, please. Only my mom calls me William,” he said with a hint of a smile. Will, did as instructed. He stood up and started feeling Aeris for implants. “You got something behind your right ear.”

“That’s normal. It’s a data plugin.”

Nodding, Will continues his work, going lower on Aeris’ body. He stands as he finishes up, “Found nothing. If I may, Sir… err, Aeris, you got a well-defined body. I would love to know your workout routine.”

“When we get rescued, I’ll invite you to the gym, for a few sessions. Just one thing, please manscape. That bush of yours rubbing on my shoulder was a bit, distracting,” Aeris says with a chuckle, to a slightly blushing Private Jeffers. He knew Will was nervous, and scared, about their situation. It’s why Aeris was trying to be informal with him and was trying to build his moral up. “Now we need to find a way to the roof. I was able to ping my suit and contact the Prometheus, they are sending an S&R team to get us, but we need to get to the roof or the ground.”

“Will do Aeris, I’ll take the point.” Private Will Jeffers stops briefly, looking over at the portrait, “That’s them? They look like us, only with blue skin. Why are they doing this to us?”

“I don’t know Will, but hopefully we’ll find out.”

The two soldiers move into the hallway and start a more thorough search for an escape route.

~*~

Onboard the alien scout ship, the pilot, Drem, was in a mild panic. He was a pilot in the Warrior Caste of the Thorian Empire, and he was being used as a personal assistant. His duty was to defend the Thorian Empire from all threats, both foreign and domestic. He thought it was ironic, that he learned that the Humans had a similar Oath. But now he’s on a scout ship (a fine top of the line one at that) and doing everything his companion ‘The Lord Doctor’ was telling him to do. To add insult to this dishonor, the Lord Doctor refused to share his name with Drem. So, here he sat, on the bridge of the ship, waiting for his companion’s next order, while monitoring the Human’s Orbital ship for changes, monitoring communications from Homeworld Command, and searching up any information that they had on Human/Magic interaction.

*I can find no records in the archives that I have the authorization to access to, on Humans and their use of Magic. There is nothing here,* Drem says to the Lord Doctor, before glances at the sensors. *My suggestion is to wait for the Specialist you sent for.*

*Mind your counsel, Pilot. I have no need of it. We’ll wait, but continue searching all records you do have…* the Lord Doctor was saying when he was interrupted.

*I’m already here. Have been for a few minor cycles.* a third new voice said from behind them.

Drem shoots out of his seat, pulling for his sidearm, but he’s been disarmed. He stares dumbfounded, as the Specialist hands it back to him. *How?*

*That’s not the question to ask. The question should be, **Why didn’t he kill two of the Homeworld’s best because neither were following protocol for recon with a hostile force? ** However, I am not here for that. Bring me up to speed on these Humans.*

Drem looks over at the Lord Doctor, waiting for him to speak as he sat back down to monitor the systems.

*Not much to tell. The two subjects, after escaping the ARS, their Leader ran down the hall, carrying the other, into the old Noble Command Scientist’s office. Due to the warding, we cannot see what they are doing in there, or what they will find,* the Lord Doctor replied. His normal smugness, suddenly gone in the presence of the Specialist, the Doctor continued, *we did detect an energy spike in the armor, he was wearing.*

*Is that armor anywhere he can get to it?*

*No, your Grace. It is located five floors down from them, in transfer storage.*

The Specialist just nods, to them, and turns heading towards the rear of the ship. *I’m headed down to the planet. Cease all recordings planetside and teleport your collected specimens up to the ship. Keep watch on what they are doing in Orbit, and follow your orders.* He did not give them a chance to respond, as he grabs his go bag, and teleports out.

~*~

“This would be downright comical, if we weren’t trying to escape,” Will whispers back to Aeris, as they cautiously walked down the hallway. The two of them were zigzagging between the doorways, unable to find any that would open for them. The few that had a window, looking into the rooms, all seemed to be medical labs, and empty. Motion sensors, triggered lights, as they walked along, there were no options which would allow them to be stealthy. “Two men, naked as the day they were born, moving through an abandoned lab or medical complex, and I’m starting to get a chub from thinking about an Officer looking at my ass. I want a raise when we get back.”

“Really, William… I hadn’t noticed you were, seeing as it’s so thickly covered,” Aeris quipped back. He knew it wasn’t the right time, or place for this type of banter. However, he also knew how seriously fucked they were if any guards showed up. “Mind a personal question?”

“I’m an open book, Commander, ask away, but I hope you don’t mind one from me.”

“Alright, you can ask me one too. My question, are you gay?”

“No,” Will sighed some, “I’m not gay. If anything I consider myself bisexual, leaning towards women. I had a girlfriend before joining the Corp, but during boot, she decided that a military family was not in the cards for her. Dumped me just after graduation, which was good. Seeing they shipped me off to Titan, and assigned me to the detachment on the Prometheus. I didn’t even get MOS training.”

“You’re serious?”

“Yup. Gunny Raynes has been giving me field training with the Sims. He says I’ve learned more about infantry rifleman this way than I would with the time spent at the MOS station. I’ll admit I’m pissed at my recruiter. My signing contract stated I was supposed to go into demolitions for one year and then into Officer Training Course (OTC), on the account that I have a Masters in Chemical Engineering.”

“Hold up. You’re a college grad, with a Masters in chemical engineering, and you signed up for the Marines. Why?”

“That’s… a really hard topic Aeris. I signed up because… family. My brother was killed by some terrorists, on an outer colony planet. I wanted to do something in his honor his name.”

“You could have gone Navy. The Naval Intel service would have snatched you up.”

“I tried, but the Marines offered me OTC and a signing bonus as I’ve hunted all my life. I about qualified Marksman on our first range day.”

Aeris listened to Will, as the continued their search, “looks like we have elevators up ahead. If these aliens built this building, anything like ours should be some stairs around them. So, you’re still an E-1?”

William nods his answer to Aeris while looking at the door windows for the stairs, “Yup. Not even a rank increase. I seriously think I pissed someone off.”

“I’ll look into it, when we get out of here, but considered yourself battlefield promoted to Warrant Officer.”

William looks over to Aeris stunned. “Well, shit. You have that authorization?”

“I do. Also, I will be putting you in for Guardian Force training. You got talent and a level head. I don’t think some other ‘fresh from boot, tenderfoots’ would be doing as well as you are.”

“I’d hug you, if it wouldn’t be improper, and awkward, with our missiles, touching and all.” William laughs some, before turning to a door, “Found the stairs and another locked door.”

“Damn. It’s a no go on the Elevators either,” was Aeris’ reply. “This doesn’t make a lick of sense. The room we were taken too was completely open. The Office was the only other room that opened automatically for us. All the others, the door locks are electronic, but we can’t get into them, as they are molded directly into the wall. The Search and Rescue team knows were looking for a way out, and they are parked outside looking for a way in. Add to that, this whole damn planet is completely deserted.”

They stand there, looking at each other for a few moments, while Aeris decided what to do. “Let’s head back to the office if it’s still open. It had an attached bathroom and working water. We can wait there, at least, while we try to figure out something.”

“Yes Sir, Aeris.”

They get back to the office door, which opens and closes behind them as they entered. Will goes back to the couch he was on and sits while Aeris leans on a table thinking.

“Took you two long enough to get back here,” the voice of the Specialist rings clearly in the room, as he becomes visible by the doorway. He’s leaning on the wall, next to the exit, his bag on the floor next to him. The Specialist is dressed in a tight fitting, all black, semi-armored outfit, with a pistol in one hand. It’s pointed at the ground in a none threatening way.

William jumps to his feet, as both he and Aeris turned to face the male alien. Aeris is the first to respond, “Look, we can keep this peaceful. I think this has all been a big misunderstanding.”

The alien nods, a little in acknowledgment, and replies, “I believe there has been as well. In fact, I know so. This is going to be very hard for you to believe, but I am here to help.”

Aeris looks at him plainly, “Alright, you’re the one with the weapon, and you got us at a disadvantage. I’m listening.”

“There are some fundamentals about the Thorian Empire, which you need to understand. First, Magic is real. We use it. It’s what powers our civilization, and gives us a significant advantage against most other races we encountered. It’s what put you two in a sleeping trance, and teleported you to the lab. Second, you Humans used to practice magic, before your homeworld started to wane. I dare say, one or two of your crew members on the ship, are going to be in for a surprise in the next day or two, as they practice their faith, and tap into the occult magic. Third, according to the High Command, your civilization means nothing to us, but you’re expanding into our territory. We are at War, our two peoples; it’s still in its infancy. Lastly, there are some of us, who do not wish this to happen and want to see it stopped before it goes any further. So, I am here to help.”

“Well, shit…” Will says as he looks between the others.

“Very stupid question, and completely cliché, aside from faith, how and why should I trust you?” Aeris asks of the Alien.

“Aside from the fact, I’m the only one that can get you out of here… Here, this was ‘sent’ to us from a future date. Time Travel spells use a tremendous amount of energy, and are not done lightly.” The Specialist takes out an Earth-based Holo-locket and tosses it to Aeris.

Aeris catches the locket, recognizing the design, and activates it. The displayed image is that of a family, Mother, Father, and Child; more specifically Aeris’ family. “How did… wait… you explained how, though I am finding that hard to believe. Why did you get this, and who sent it?”

“You sent it from the future, along with a note saying, ‘for proof when we finally meet.’ There was more to the message, but we should do that at a better time.”

Aeris nods slowly taking it all in. He wasn’t quite sure how this was happening, but he felt in his gut, that there was truth to this. “OK, what do we call you, and how do we get out?”

Smiling, the Specialist replies, “My name is Zirsi, and I am a Specialist in the Thorian Empire’s Intel and Warfare Caste. How we get out, is by Magic.”

~*~

“Prometheus, this is Gunnery Sergeant Raynes. Status report… After landing with the search and rescue team, I’ve been in contact with Commander Aeris, via text messaging. They are trapped inside and stuck on that floor. None of the doors are working for them. It’s the same with the ground forces. We cannot enter the building, and so far all breaching techniques have failed as well. There’s some sort of shielding, that’s repealing everything we throw at it. We just got a message that Commander Aeris, and Warrant Officer William Jeffers, have met up with an ally, and will be coming out soon,” the Gunny reported to the orbiting ship.

“Copy that Gunny. Prometheus is on standby. Bring our boys home,” Admiral Franks responded personally.

It was another five minutes for the trio, to meet outside with the S&R team. As the two naked humans walked out with the blue alien, medical personnel ran over to Aeris and Will. Wrapping them in emergency blankets, and running scanners over them to assess any immediate medical problems, and satisfied there wasn’t any. Security was wary of the Thorian, giving him a cautious eye until Aeris ordered them to stand down.

“Someone, I need a radio,” Aeris said. A tech ran over to him with a portable. “Prometheus, this is Aeris. We’re headed up now, prepare for Hostiles in orbit. Scan for energy signatures, outside of normal range inside the local sphere. They will be using total cloaking but we can detect the energy they give off. Prep for immediate system departure. We’re at war Admiral. Act accordingly.”