(nonFMP!) Homecoming Ch1
Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2004 3:21 am
This is a SciFi story based about 500 years in the future. there is a glossary at the end that will explain some of the terms in the fic.
Return Home Chapter 1
Hartsfield-Jackson Starport, Eastern North America, Sol 3(Terra)
14:36 Local time(20:36 Terran Standard time) 22 November
It has been 5 years since I lost saw this place. Five years of being shuttled from hot spot to hot spot to keep the peace. You see that is the life of a Space Commando, my chosen profession. A defender of the Terran Union of Planets and the United Federation of Planets. It seemed such a great idea five years ago. Go see the galaxy said the recruitment personnel. Sure did. Saw world such as PX 34-603, TR 560090, GP 4409821, and not the least of which ADF 78,45,300. It is amazing that nobody has come up with a standard way of naming a system yet.
“ Hey watch it, you moron.”
“ Oops.” as I apologized to the man running for the terminal, probably running late for his departure. As I was saying, I have a seen a lot during this last five years. I have not fought officially Members of the Imperial Armed Forces of the Azurian Common Market, the Galactic People’s Republic Space Forces, the Knights of St. John, the Interstellar Armed forces of the Kenatic, and not the least of which the Collectors of Antiquities of the Mercantile League. Nope I have only fought the Bugs for the last five years. I wouldn’t want the general populace to know what the real galaxy is like. Well, anyways I am here for one reason and one reason only, LEAVE. Oh I forgot to introduce my self. I am
“BELISARIUS” as I got tackled from my blind side. It was defiantly a good one because I hit the floor with the perpetrator. Considering I am over six foot nine, oops sorry two meters tall(yep, I am from America, even after 500 years of accepting the metric system, they still teach the old English system) and 120 Kilograms, It had to be.
I got up to a sitting position as I surveyed who assaulted a Space Marine Commando with this daring and successful maneuver, but I already knew the answer.
“Rebekah Mackenzie, you know that I could have killed you when you did that trick.” This woman looked a little dismayed by my outburst. The woman sitting in front of me would make most male just melt with her looks, Sand blonde hair, brown eyes, full lips and a body that almost defied gravity this would only be my sister. Well not really my sister, but my foster sister. I was adopted at an early age by her family and we have grown together as brother and sister.
“Considering that the entire 24th Mech Infantry brigade could have just ran by you, and you wouldn’t notice, I decided to take the initative, Belisarius Wallace-Mackenzie.” said her in a defiant tone.
That would be my name, Belisarius Wallace-Mackenzie of the Terran Union Space Marine Commandos.
“ What in the hell are you doing here, Rebekah. I thought that you were stationed in the Procyon system.”
“The IPA allowed me to see my long lost brother, considering the big bust I got recently.”
“ You don’t say. What was it?”
“Can’t tell you, Bel. Matter of the most secrecy of the UFP.”
“Bullshit”
“You keep on saying the same thing about you exploits but I saw you being welcomed back after Telleron 3, where members of the 175th Ranger regiment and 7th Brynhilden regiment defeated a lost colony of Bugs. What the hell was your unit and a Brynhilden unit doing on the same planet. Oh wait a minute, I know the answer now. You were peeping on them, weren’t you?” teased her.
“No we weren’t” as I stammered an answer. This caused a laugh from her. That was one of the most beautiful sounds that I have ever heard. We were walking out of the terminal to the parking lots when I realized that it was late fall here as the wind howled.
“ Got Ya”
“ Where’s Mom and Dad?”
“Back at the house. Mom has decided that she couldn’t wait to have the Thanksgiving dinner until Thanksgiving with you finally comin home. Got some news for ya”
“About what?”
“ Project Sparta”
That caused me to stop, I knew that I was part of Project Sparta and that it was for those who were ‘gifted’ but I never for what.
“ One of my uncles worked there until it was disbanded. Then a lot of the research scientist showed up dead.”
“ Why wasn’t there an investigation into the deaths?”
“ Because they were natural cause. Or at least that what they seemed to be.”
“ You believe otherwise.”
“ Of course”
“ Why?”
“ I wish I knew, but It has to deal with your abilities.”
“ What abilities?”
“ You incredible stamina, your ability to figure things out, your ability to almost perceive thing that you shouldn’t”
“ Are you still hung up on the time I stop your ex from kidnapping you?”
“ You just don’t get it do you.” as she turned and faced me. Considering there is about a 21cm difference in height, at most times it was laughable but now…
“Why would anybody name a project for genesis’s Sparta?”
“Terran Union Beauracarcy”
“ No, doomkoff, because they were trying to create the perfect human being.”
“Sure, Rebekah. Next you’ll tell me that I am the best of the lot.”
“ At least we know you’re not.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re not a woman?” she laughed
I still will never understand her, and probably never will.
Sometimes, I think that the Lord himself was duped into creating women.
How else can such an enigma exist in the universe.
We had gotten to the automobile and got in. She on the Driver(Left side) while got to ride shotgun. We got on to expressway to our parents’ house. You see, here in the ATL(as most locals have called it for 500 years)most of the population live in the north of the Grav rails that connect Atlanta to the rest of the continent. My home was near the Mountains that made up the Blue Ridge. The view of the mountain was amazing. Despite all the worlds I have been to, the sheer amount of life of the Blue Ridge made them beautiful to me.
“ You haven’t said a word, Bel.” said the driver. “ What’s on your mind?”
I replied,” Just realizing that in all the galaxy, the most beautiful site is home.”
“ From your lips to God’s ear,” said Rebekah. “ Do you see that column of smoke over there, Bel? Isn’t that close to our home?” as fear crept into her voice.
As the car moved around the bend, a pair of local police vehicles blocked the way to the access road to their home. The police motioned for them to stop. They did as a couple of officers moved to either side of the vehicle.
Both me and Rebekah brought the door windows down to talk the officers. While the one that was Rebekah’s side going to talk casually, something about the second officer didn’t seem to be right to me.
“ What’s wrong here, officer?” asked Rebekah.
“Who are you people?” said the officer.
“ I am Rebekah Mackenzie and this is my brother Belisarius and our parents live here, officer.” she said.
“ Can I see some ID?”
Both me and her pulled out our ID cards nonchalantly and gave to the officer. He took them back to the blockade and starting talking on the radio to somebody.
“ Funny, I do not recognize any of them,” she said to me.
“ Something is not right here, sis. They seem to be looking for something. That officer to our right seems to be a little to in love with his gun.”
“ Your right, Bel.” She next spoke in Japanese to me. “there is a laser pistol in the bag behind you. I have my piece right under my seat. Do you think that this…”
“ Down,” I yelled as I got the bag with the pistol and lunged out the car.
The next thing I saw was all four officers bring their pistols to bear and fire on the vehicle’s passenger compartment. All the shot missed us as we both exited the vehicle.
Rebekah had her pistol firing as she used the car door as cover while shooting at them. I however had a problem getting the pistol out of the backpack it was in.
One of the officers fell to my sister’s precision shooting, I decided to use the backpack for something useful while the two on my side were getting too close for comfort. I tossed the bag at one while I charged the other. As I engaged the officer that I had not thrown at, the one I did had his piece knocked out by the force of the impact. Two quick strikes with my hand dislodged the other gun from his hand. The next maneuver had my forearm around his neck and then I snapped his neck. As I let go of the suddenly limped body, I heard the thump of another body as my sister took care of the last officer.
“ You need to use the weapons given to you properly. You just don’t throw away weapons.”
“ You didn’t put any weapon in there, sis.”
“ What the hell were they doing trying to kill us?,” as she pulled out her communicator.
“ You’re the Police officer here, Rebekah. I am just a dumb grunt, “ I replied as I got one of the other laser pistols.
“ Right, Bel. Anyways thanks. If it wasn’t for you being you. We would have been dead. I just sent a message to the IPA department in Atlanta. They are sending some units here soon.” she said as she grabbed one of the officers wallets.
As I watched the road for any hostile, she pilfered thru the officers personal effect are lack there of.
“ They got no ID, Bel. How can they even be on Earth without any ID.” she said.
“ Maybe they are special agents. MIB. The question is why are they here and why they shot at us? When are the IPA sending you some help, Rebekah? “ said I holstering another laser pistol.
“ Soon, Bel. They have to get thru some red tape to help me. I insisted on no local authorities and that will ruffle some feathers, but we are not taking any chances on the locals.” as she started to walk up the long driveway to their home.
I caught her arm and spun her around, then said, “ If they have backup up at the house, they will be canvassing the normal way of entering the house, including the roadway. We need to go thru the woods and see if there any other people at the house.” as I pointed out.
“Hadn’t that of that, Bel, but you’re right. However I don’t like leaving our parents in there with them.”
“ Neither do I, but we better help them by being alive and well then hurt.”
“ Okay, you lead, I follow.”
“ Better keep up. I ain’t going to nursemaid you thru the woods.”
“ Pleaz, Bel. I’ve grown up in these mountains, too.”
I was moving to the wood that encompassed the entire eastern side our lands with Rebekah behind me. We moved as silently as possible thru those woods. Being late fall and a brisk breeze going thru the valley, there was a lot of back ground noise that would mask our travels.
After about 15 minutes, we got to a point that we wanted to. A big Oak tree that had a rope ladder attached to it. In our younger days, this was our place to get away from our family. A Tree house was built here by the both of us and it had a view directly into the clearing were our home was. We could see the entire back of the house and the eastern part of the house. That included the overflow car port and the dock that went into the lake on the property.
As Rebekah got to the ladder, I felt something was wrong. Something that just didn’t feel right. I motioned to her to climb another tree. She complied as positioned my self so I could get a shot into the house.
As she moved to the other tree, I saw a shadow move in the tree house. Instinct took over As I brought up one of the Laser pistols and shot at the shadow. One shot, one hit, One kill as the shadow fell out of the house on to the ground. My sister reacted to the actions by hitting the ground and pulling her piece. I moved to cover the fallen body as I heard the sound of blaster fire, however. She shot at the riflemen in the Tree house and hit him in the head, causing him to lose his balance and fall out of the house. He hit the ground hard, but moved to get up. However, the combination of the head hit (that appeared to be a glancing hit) and the fall didn’t allow his equilibrium to do its job and fell back down. This gave me enough time to get to him. He saw me coming and tried to bring his rifle up but he fell again as his legs couldn’t steady him. I got to him and broke the hand holding the rifle as I took possession of the weapon. He cried as the pain registered to his brain as I put the rifle butt to his head. He slumped over as blood splattered over all over the place.
“Damn it, Bel. Why do you have to kill every one of them we meet? We need one alive to have an idea whose there and If they have our parents in their hands?” as my sister came to my side.
She went to the other fallen person and found a personal communicator and decided to listen on it.
She looked shocked and motioned to me to be prepared for some more action.
“ They are sending some more people over here. They also know that the IPA is sending a team here soon and seem to be moving quickly. They know whose doing it, too.”
“ Lets show them not to mess with us.”
“ Lets go.”
We moved forward to ward the house using the natural terrain as cover. One of the fake officers didn’t even see them as he went down from a laser shot from his sister on his right. Another decided to try to shot at her but I took the shot with the blaster rifle I had. I missed but got him to move to cover as he didn’t want to face a blaster rifle with out some cover. However, my sister anticipated his action and moved to get a shot and took it. Again she hit what she saw, bring him down. Two more of the fake officers moved into the field of view. This time I switched the rifle to full auto, and fired at them. Just wanted them to find cover, but hit one with a short burst and incinerated his head as he tried to hit the ground. The other one after finding cover decided to switch his rifle to full auto and fired a spread at me. Next, my sister signaled me that something was happening back at the house. I signaled her to move forward while I covered her. Then I fired the rifle at full auto to keep him focused on me. She moved to get the shot as I continued the rifle fight with the assailant. She then went right up to him and shot him with her pistol on full auto. I didn’t see the result to him but she moved into my view and signaled to move to the house quickly. I moved quickly to join her and go to her just as wee entered the manicured lawn that led to the house. I t was at this time I heard the whine of the turbines in the area.
“I said that I am being shot at by unknown forces armed with military weaponry, Captain. I need backup now.” Rebekah talking in to her IPA comm with obvious impertinence. “They have my parents in a hostage situation, I have been a couple of firefights since I called and your worried about rolling over some locals. I NEED BACKUP,NOW.”
I decided to getting to the house from the window that led to the study. I jumped thru the window breaking it and got to a knelling position bring up my rifle to fire on anybody who enter thru the hallway. I moved to the doorway and looked in to the hall way to see if anybody was going to se the ruckus I made. At this time my sister entered the room and took up position opposite of me.
She said, “ That is the turbines of a Nike class Patrol cruiser, Bel. It would be that our guest are leaving. How rude.:
“ I think it time to see if they would help clean up the mess they made, don’t you?”
“ I hate dates that leave the bill to me?” she smiled.
We moved down the hallway in a full sprint. Since the door to the living room was closed, I decided to barrel through it. Rebekah decided that she would be the one to cover any shot that would certainly appear. Or we thought.
As the door exploded from the force of my impact. My sister covered the living room. What I saw will be with me until my death. My father tied to a chair with his eyes burned out, and his fingers cut open. Just opposite was my mother facing him tied with a gag, frantically moving as if trying to tell us something. My sister went and pulled her knife to cut my mother out when I looked over where my mother was motioning to. Near the stairs was a package that looked real suspicious. I instantly knew what it was for some reason and was moving to my sister . She resisted but I moved with such determination that I took us out the patio to the dock. Then I threw her in to the water. She was screaming to stop but was drowned by the explosion that just happened. I hit the water just as the wash of fire and debris of the explosion. I came back up and saw the house literally blown apart by the explosion . I heard my sister come up .
“What the fudgie… MOTHER!!!”
I couldn’t believe it. My beloved parents dead. My mothers last act was to tell us that we were in danger. No thought about her own life but the lives of her two children. Even if one who wasn’t even from her womb. I could taste the salt of my tears now as I screamed at the house.
Even my sister was immobised by the flood of emotions. However, the whine of turbine revving up brought both of us out of it. We saw a Nike hover over the house pointing toward us. We both reacted by diving into the water. The heat of the blast could be felt thru the water. I was frantically diving deeper to get away from the boiling water above as the Nike fired its ships guns into the water. They were defintly determined to kill the both of us. And then it stopped, I didn’t move to the surfaced until I got to the reed bed, and then had to get some air. As I surfaced I saw the Nike leaving real quick. I was trying to see any identifying marking but it was jet black. All of it. After it left I surveyed the area for my sister. I immediately panicked as I couldn’t see my sister. I frantically got out of the water to get a better view of the lake, when I heard some intense coughing to my right side. I ran over there to help my sister out of the water.
“Where are those bastard at?” she said “ Where is the IP back up I requested over an hour ago? Why couldn’t they get here sooner?” my sister was saying while she was crying.
I knew that she was trying to bring some reason to what just was experienced by the both of us, but couldn’t say anything. All I did was to bring her into a hug as both literally broke out into tears. I seemed an eternity until her IP comm came Alive.
“ Detective First Class Mackenzie, come in. This is the IPA patrol cruiser Blue Thunder responding to your call.”
She took her comm and yelled it with such force that I am certain that people in the rest of the valley could here her
“Where the fudgie have you’ve been? I don’t care about any regulations about the locals having jurisdiction. I told you that the locals were firing at a IPA officer and you took your time…”
I grabbed her comm and talked into it as she was about to scream.
“ This is Sergeant Mackenzie of 175th Ranger regiment speaking. Blue Thunder, did you pick up the Nike that just left the area.”
“ What do you think your doing?” my sister glared at me.
“ Calm down, Rebekah. You’ve got to not allow your emotions get a hold of you when you are speakin.” as I handed the com unit back to her.
She took a deep breath and spoke into the comm unit. “ Please repeat that, Blue Thunder. I did not copy what you said.” saying in a more controlled voice.
I looked around at the scene and saw the Nike landing in the front yard.
“ What are you talking about? A jet black Nike left the area just before you showed up and you didn’t spot it.”
“ We were coming in from orbit and did not get any visual any craft leaving the area. Scanners also did not pick up anything.” crackled the comm unit.
“ We should met them, Rebekah.”
She assented as she continued to argue with the crew about how could it not be spotted upon scanners.
We saw the Nike land and the airlock opened disgorging a 6 man squad of men in combat armor and blaster rifles. Both me and sis put our weapons down as the squad covered us.
Some more men left the ship and started to canvass the area when we heard the whine of siren coming down the road to the house.
Some officer exited the Nike a walked towards us as the Locals were getting in to view.
“What the hell are those locals being here, Captain. The locals fired on us when we were at the gate.” Asked my very irate sister.
“ They insisted on talking to you as it would seem that there is an arrest warrant out for him.”
“WHAT!” as both us exclaimed.
“ That is what they said.”
“ Sir, my brother just showed up on world just over 3 hours ago. He was on a charter line before that. Where has he had the time to do anything to warrant a shoot to kill order.”
The Local sheriff showed up and talked in a deep southern drawl, “ Captain Coles, I am Sheriff Bailly of Lumpkin. I here to take into custody of Belisarius Wallace-Mackenzie for the murder of 3 people over 5 years ago.”
“ WHAT!!!” again from the both of us.
“ Excuse me, Sheriff. But such a warrant would be in the database and he would have picked up at the star port if that was true.’ said the IPA Captain.
“ Here is the warrant, sir.”
“ Captain, my brother is innocent of these allegations. There was no such warrant issued on brother until just recently like may be a couple of hours ago.” said my getting very irate sister.
“ Captain, she cannot be….”
“ Watch out what you say, Sheriff because I was…”
The Captain bellowed now. “ Enough. Belisarius Mackenzie you under arrest by the IPA for wrongful use of IPA equipment.”
“WHAT !!! Captain the arrest warrant..”
“ It would be prudent to check the validity of the warrant first. Sheriff, it would be prudent if you would conduct an investigation about the bombing here.” forcefully said the IPA captain.
The sheriff took the hint and walked off and started to order the officer to start doing their jobs.
The Captain took a pair of cuffs and went over to me.
“ Captain, what are you doing? You’re not…” my sister was saying.
“ Detective, read the prisoner his rights.”
“BUT…….. HOW Could”
I gave my sister a squeeze on her left shoulder and put my arms out to be handcuffed.
My sister was shocked but did stammered out the rights of the accused.
I knew that this action was to get me out of the jurisdiction of the local and to the IPA. The captain had used what he could to override the authority of the locals. With me in IPA custody, any question about the local being in the action would be deflected.
I was led on to the Nike by my sister and the Captain.
In side the Nike, I was sent to a holding room and was relieved of the cuffs. My sister gave me peck on the cheek and left leaving the Captain in there with me.
“ Sergeant, Please do no t do anything stupid. I will try to figure out what is happening. You have my word on it. “ As he left the room.
For the first time since I got home, I was alone. Now all the adrenaline had left and now started to realize what had happened. I cried more then anytime I could remember. My beloved foster parents were murdered and my home was blown to kingdom come. Now, I am accused of murdering people I never knew. Why this was all happening, I don’t know. But went it is all done, I will find out who did this.
Then I fell asleep from exhaustion.
Glossary
Azurian Common Market- commonaly known as the Azuriach Imperium. Human supremist nation that is the Second of the three Human Superpowers in space. This nation has believes that humanity is the pinnacle of evelution and that all other races are resources for humanity.
Mercantile League- a nation of humans and other snetients that bonded thegther for free trade and mutual defense. Similar to the Hanseatic League, it does have an overlay of the Roman republic built in. A strong ally of the Terran Union most of the time, it has resisted overtures in joining the United Federation of Planets because of the bureaucracy inherent in the system.
Galatic People’s Republic- the third of the Human superpowers, it is based of the communist China. It is not on friendly terms with the Terran Union, and the Mercantile League, it is in a continous war footing with the Azuriach Imperium because of idealistic reasons.
Terran Union- the foremeost of the human superpowers, and the instigator of the United Federation of Planets, it is the decendent of the United States, European Union, and East Asian confedertion. Left untouched by the Bug incursion, it has unrivaled economic properity because of the UFP.
United Federation of Planets- a grand confederation of the Terran Union, the Grand Pricipality of Procyon ( alarge stellar nation of the MekPurrs), the Rauwoof Republics (caniod nation), Blarad Duchy of Hepheris (a Ursonid nation), that wishes to promote life liberity and the pursuit of happiness. This stellar block formation has given puase to those who didn’t join as it economic strength is unequalled.
MekPurrs- a race of felinoid (intelligent bipelad felines) that have embraced technology to it fullest. The premire designers of robots and cybernetics, they have robots and androids to do most of the menial labor for them. Very ritualistic, and prideful, they are somewhat baffled by humanity’s reckless drive to conquer the stars.
Rauwoofs-a race of Caninoids (intelligent bipedal canines), they have latched onto humans like nothing. They cannot really hide their emotions, they are very much as what you see them. Considering that the Terran Union saved most of their worlds from the Bug incursion, they feel that UFP is the best way to surviv and prosper.
Blarads-a race of Ursoniod( intelligent bipedal Bear-like creature) that follow a very old code of life. They are the second oldest space faring race known to humanity. Think of the Centauri of the B5, when thinking of them. A race built for action, they act when they want to. They view humanity with both admiration and some hostility.
Avatars- a race of felinoids that are sperate from the MekPurrs in that they do not use technology as much. That isn’t to say they don’t know how to use modern weaponry, because they will, but they believe the old ways should not be thrown away. The hunt, the kill worked for their ancestors, it will work for them. MekPurrs and Avatars hate each other because of each perceived weakness.
Nike class patrol ship/torpedo boat- a small vessel equipped with a FTL engine, a very large standard drive, it is used by the Space forces as scouts and patrol because of it small size, ease of maintence and it very large combat payload. It almost as meanverable as a fighter, it can land anywhere, and be anywhere it wants to be.
IPA- Interstellar Police Agency- the UFPs space coast and interstellar police force, it handle most of the small stuff in interstellar space.
Knights of St. John- one of the military knight of orders of the Holy Catholic Empire.
The Holy Catholic Empire- a stellar nation that is headed by the Pope
The Bug Incursion- basically 25 years ago, a insectoid species attacked the space near Earth. Their attacks targetd the Rauwoof Republics, the Azuriach Imperium, and the Galatic People’s Republic. Think of the Bugs of starship Trooper, or from Aliens.
Telleron 3- a battle that incompassed forces from the UFP, the Azuriach Imperium, and the Holy Catholic Empire. Think of the Alamo or Bastogne, except the enemy was a bunch of hostile insects.
Valkeriyes- a slang term for the women of Bryhild 3. A planet of where the enviroment has caused the population to be 95% female. They have adopted the namesake as a badge and strive to be the terror of the Galaxy. Considered to be the best shocktroppers in the Sector, they are as beautiful as they are deadly.
Blasters- energy weapons that use sub-quantum particles, it is considered to be the ulimate weapon. The only energy weapon that can routinely pierce energy shields, it is used by all the Spaceforces, but is rarely found planetside because of it destructive power. Most Police agencies use laser as they are far less destructive.
Return Home Chapter 1
Hartsfield-Jackson Starport, Eastern North America, Sol 3(Terra)
14:36 Local time(20:36 Terran Standard time) 22 November
It has been 5 years since I lost saw this place. Five years of being shuttled from hot spot to hot spot to keep the peace. You see that is the life of a Space Commando, my chosen profession. A defender of the Terran Union of Planets and the United Federation of Planets. It seemed such a great idea five years ago. Go see the galaxy said the recruitment personnel. Sure did. Saw world such as PX 34-603, TR 560090, GP 4409821, and not the least of which ADF 78,45,300. It is amazing that nobody has come up with a standard way of naming a system yet.
“ Hey watch it, you moron.”
“ Oops.” as I apologized to the man running for the terminal, probably running late for his departure. As I was saying, I have a seen a lot during this last five years. I have not fought officially Members of the Imperial Armed Forces of the Azurian Common Market, the Galactic People’s Republic Space Forces, the Knights of St. John, the Interstellar Armed forces of the Kenatic, and not the least of which the Collectors of Antiquities of the Mercantile League. Nope I have only fought the Bugs for the last five years. I wouldn’t want the general populace to know what the real galaxy is like. Well, anyways I am here for one reason and one reason only, LEAVE. Oh I forgot to introduce my self. I am
“BELISARIUS” as I got tackled from my blind side. It was defiantly a good one because I hit the floor with the perpetrator. Considering I am over six foot nine, oops sorry two meters tall(yep, I am from America, even after 500 years of accepting the metric system, they still teach the old English system) and 120 Kilograms, It had to be.
I got up to a sitting position as I surveyed who assaulted a Space Marine Commando with this daring and successful maneuver, but I already knew the answer.
“Rebekah Mackenzie, you know that I could have killed you when you did that trick.” This woman looked a little dismayed by my outburst. The woman sitting in front of me would make most male just melt with her looks, Sand blonde hair, brown eyes, full lips and a body that almost defied gravity this would only be my sister. Well not really my sister, but my foster sister. I was adopted at an early age by her family and we have grown together as brother and sister.
“Considering that the entire 24th Mech Infantry brigade could have just ran by you, and you wouldn’t notice, I decided to take the initative, Belisarius Wallace-Mackenzie.” said her in a defiant tone.
That would be my name, Belisarius Wallace-Mackenzie of the Terran Union Space Marine Commandos.
“ What in the hell are you doing here, Rebekah. I thought that you were stationed in the Procyon system.”
“The IPA allowed me to see my long lost brother, considering the big bust I got recently.”
“ You don’t say. What was it?”
“Can’t tell you, Bel. Matter of the most secrecy of the UFP.”
“Bullshit”
“You keep on saying the same thing about you exploits but I saw you being welcomed back after Telleron 3, where members of the 175th Ranger regiment and 7th Brynhilden regiment defeated a lost colony of Bugs. What the hell was your unit and a Brynhilden unit doing on the same planet. Oh wait a minute, I know the answer now. You were peeping on them, weren’t you?” teased her.
“No we weren’t” as I stammered an answer. This caused a laugh from her. That was one of the most beautiful sounds that I have ever heard. We were walking out of the terminal to the parking lots when I realized that it was late fall here as the wind howled.
“ Got Ya”
“ Where’s Mom and Dad?”
“Back at the house. Mom has decided that she couldn’t wait to have the Thanksgiving dinner until Thanksgiving with you finally comin home. Got some news for ya”
“About what?”
“ Project Sparta”
That caused me to stop, I knew that I was part of Project Sparta and that it was for those who were ‘gifted’ but I never for what.
“ One of my uncles worked there until it was disbanded. Then a lot of the research scientist showed up dead.”
“ Why wasn’t there an investigation into the deaths?”
“ Because they were natural cause. Or at least that what they seemed to be.”
“ You believe otherwise.”
“ Of course”
“ Why?”
“ I wish I knew, but It has to deal with your abilities.”
“ What abilities?”
“ You incredible stamina, your ability to figure things out, your ability to almost perceive thing that you shouldn’t”
“ Are you still hung up on the time I stop your ex from kidnapping you?”
“ You just don’t get it do you.” as she turned and faced me. Considering there is about a 21cm difference in height, at most times it was laughable but now…
“Why would anybody name a project for genesis’s Sparta?”
“Terran Union Beauracarcy”
“ No, doomkoff, because they were trying to create the perfect human being.”
“Sure, Rebekah. Next you’ll tell me that I am the best of the lot.”
“ At least we know you’re not.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re not a woman?” she laughed
I still will never understand her, and probably never will.
Sometimes, I think that the Lord himself was duped into creating women.
How else can such an enigma exist in the universe.
We had gotten to the automobile and got in. She on the Driver(Left side) while got to ride shotgun. We got on to expressway to our parents’ house. You see, here in the ATL(as most locals have called it for 500 years)most of the population live in the north of the Grav rails that connect Atlanta to the rest of the continent. My home was near the Mountains that made up the Blue Ridge. The view of the mountain was amazing. Despite all the worlds I have been to, the sheer amount of life of the Blue Ridge made them beautiful to me.
“ You haven’t said a word, Bel.” said the driver. “ What’s on your mind?”
I replied,” Just realizing that in all the galaxy, the most beautiful site is home.”
“ From your lips to God’s ear,” said Rebekah. “ Do you see that column of smoke over there, Bel? Isn’t that close to our home?” as fear crept into her voice.
As the car moved around the bend, a pair of local police vehicles blocked the way to the access road to their home. The police motioned for them to stop. They did as a couple of officers moved to either side of the vehicle.
Both me and Rebekah brought the door windows down to talk the officers. While the one that was Rebekah’s side going to talk casually, something about the second officer didn’t seem to be right to me.
“ What’s wrong here, officer?” asked Rebekah.
“Who are you people?” said the officer.
“ I am Rebekah Mackenzie and this is my brother Belisarius and our parents live here, officer.” she said.
“ Can I see some ID?”
Both me and her pulled out our ID cards nonchalantly and gave to the officer. He took them back to the blockade and starting talking on the radio to somebody.
“ Funny, I do not recognize any of them,” she said to me.
“ Something is not right here, sis. They seem to be looking for something. That officer to our right seems to be a little to in love with his gun.”
“ Your right, Bel.” She next spoke in Japanese to me. “there is a laser pistol in the bag behind you. I have my piece right under my seat. Do you think that this…”
“ Down,” I yelled as I got the bag with the pistol and lunged out the car.
The next thing I saw was all four officers bring their pistols to bear and fire on the vehicle’s passenger compartment. All the shot missed us as we both exited the vehicle.
Rebekah had her pistol firing as she used the car door as cover while shooting at them. I however had a problem getting the pistol out of the backpack it was in.
One of the officers fell to my sister’s precision shooting, I decided to use the backpack for something useful while the two on my side were getting too close for comfort. I tossed the bag at one while I charged the other. As I engaged the officer that I had not thrown at, the one I did had his piece knocked out by the force of the impact. Two quick strikes with my hand dislodged the other gun from his hand. The next maneuver had my forearm around his neck and then I snapped his neck. As I let go of the suddenly limped body, I heard the thump of another body as my sister took care of the last officer.
“ You need to use the weapons given to you properly. You just don’t throw away weapons.”
“ You didn’t put any weapon in there, sis.”
“ What the hell were they doing trying to kill us?,” as she pulled out her communicator.
“ You’re the Police officer here, Rebekah. I am just a dumb grunt, “ I replied as I got one of the other laser pistols.
“ Right, Bel. Anyways thanks. If it wasn’t for you being you. We would have been dead. I just sent a message to the IPA department in Atlanta. They are sending some units here soon.” she said as she grabbed one of the officers wallets.
As I watched the road for any hostile, she pilfered thru the officers personal effect are lack there of.
“ They got no ID, Bel. How can they even be on Earth without any ID.” she said.
“ Maybe they are special agents. MIB. The question is why are they here and why they shot at us? When are the IPA sending you some help, Rebekah? “ said I holstering another laser pistol.
“ Soon, Bel. They have to get thru some red tape to help me. I insisted on no local authorities and that will ruffle some feathers, but we are not taking any chances on the locals.” as she started to walk up the long driveway to their home.
I caught her arm and spun her around, then said, “ If they have backup up at the house, they will be canvassing the normal way of entering the house, including the roadway. We need to go thru the woods and see if there any other people at the house.” as I pointed out.
“Hadn’t that of that, Bel, but you’re right. However I don’t like leaving our parents in there with them.”
“ Neither do I, but we better help them by being alive and well then hurt.”
“ Okay, you lead, I follow.”
“ Better keep up. I ain’t going to nursemaid you thru the woods.”
“ Pleaz, Bel. I’ve grown up in these mountains, too.”
I was moving to the wood that encompassed the entire eastern side our lands with Rebekah behind me. We moved as silently as possible thru those woods. Being late fall and a brisk breeze going thru the valley, there was a lot of back ground noise that would mask our travels.
After about 15 minutes, we got to a point that we wanted to. A big Oak tree that had a rope ladder attached to it. In our younger days, this was our place to get away from our family. A Tree house was built here by the both of us and it had a view directly into the clearing were our home was. We could see the entire back of the house and the eastern part of the house. That included the overflow car port and the dock that went into the lake on the property.
As Rebekah got to the ladder, I felt something was wrong. Something that just didn’t feel right. I motioned to her to climb another tree. She complied as positioned my self so I could get a shot into the house.
As she moved to the other tree, I saw a shadow move in the tree house. Instinct took over As I brought up one of the Laser pistols and shot at the shadow. One shot, one hit, One kill as the shadow fell out of the house on to the ground. My sister reacted to the actions by hitting the ground and pulling her piece. I moved to cover the fallen body as I heard the sound of blaster fire, however. She shot at the riflemen in the Tree house and hit him in the head, causing him to lose his balance and fall out of the house. He hit the ground hard, but moved to get up. However, the combination of the head hit (that appeared to be a glancing hit) and the fall didn’t allow his equilibrium to do its job and fell back down. This gave me enough time to get to him. He saw me coming and tried to bring his rifle up but he fell again as his legs couldn’t steady him. I got to him and broke the hand holding the rifle as I took possession of the weapon. He cried as the pain registered to his brain as I put the rifle butt to his head. He slumped over as blood splattered over all over the place.
“Damn it, Bel. Why do you have to kill every one of them we meet? We need one alive to have an idea whose there and If they have our parents in their hands?” as my sister came to my side.
She went to the other fallen person and found a personal communicator and decided to listen on it.
She looked shocked and motioned to me to be prepared for some more action.
“ They are sending some more people over here. They also know that the IPA is sending a team here soon and seem to be moving quickly. They know whose doing it, too.”
“ Lets show them not to mess with us.”
“ Lets go.”
We moved forward to ward the house using the natural terrain as cover. One of the fake officers didn’t even see them as he went down from a laser shot from his sister on his right. Another decided to try to shot at her but I took the shot with the blaster rifle I had. I missed but got him to move to cover as he didn’t want to face a blaster rifle with out some cover. However, my sister anticipated his action and moved to get a shot and took it. Again she hit what she saw, bring him down. Two more of the fake officers moved into the field of view. This time I switched the rifle to full auto, and fired at them. Just wanted them to find cover, but hit one with a short burst and incinerated his head as he tried to hit the ground. The other one after finding cover decided to switch his rifle to full auto and fired a spread at me. Next, my sister signaled me that something was happening back at the house. I signaled her to move forward while I covered her. Then I fired the rifle at full auto to keep him focused on me. She moved to get the shot as I continued the rifle fight with the assailant. She then went right up to him and shot him with her pistol on full auto. I didn’t see the result to him but she moved into my view and signaled to move to the house quickly. I moved quickly to join her and go to her just as wee entered the manicured lawn that led to the house. I t was at this time I heard the whine of the turbines in the area.
“I said that I am being shot at by unknown forces armed with military weaponry, Captain. I need backup now.” Rebekah talking in to her IPA comm with obvious impertinence. “They have my parents in a hostage situation, I have been a couple of firefights since I called and your worried about rolling over some locals. I NEED BACKUP,NOW.”
I decided to getting to the house from the window that led to the study. I jumped thru the window breaking it and got to a knelling position bring up my rifle to fire on anybody who enter thru the hallway. I moved to the doorway and looked in to the hall way to see if anybody was going to se the ruckus I made. At this time my sister entered the room and took up position opposite of me.
She said, “ That is the turbines of a Nike class Patrol cruiser, Bel. It would be that our guest are leaving. How rude.:
“ I think it time to see if they would help clean up the mess they made, don’t you?”
“ I hate dates that leave the bill to me?” she smiled.
We moved down the hallway in a full sprint. Since the door to the living room was closed, I decided to barrel through it. Rebekah decided that she would be the one to cover any shot that would certainly appear. Or we thought.
As the door exploded from the force of my impact. My sister covered the living room. What I saw will be with me until my death. My father tied to a chair with his eyes burned out, and his fingers cut open. Just opposite was my mother facing him tied with a gag, frantically moving as if trying to tell us something. My sister went and pulled her knife to cut my mother out when I looked over where my mother was motioning to. Near the stairs was a package that looked real suspicious. I instantly knew what it was for some reason and was moving to my sister . She resisted but I moved with such determination that I took us out the patio to the dock. Then I threw her in to the water. She was screaming to stop but was drowned by the explosion that just happened. I hit the water just as the wash of fire and debris of the explosion. I came back up and saw the house literally blown apart by the explosion . I heard my sister come up .
“What the fudgie… MOTHER!!!”
I couldn’t believe it. My beloved parents dead. My mothers last act was to tell us that we were in danger. No thought about her own life but the lives of her two children. Even if one who wasn’t even from her womb. I could taste the salt of my tears now as I screamed at the house.
Even my sister was immobised by the flood of emotions. However, the whine of turbine revving up brought both of us out of it. We saw a Nike hover over the house pointing toward us. We both reacted by diving into the water. The heat of the blast could be felt thru the water. I was frantically diving deeper to get away from the boiling water above as the Nike fired its ships guns into the water. They were defintly determined to kill the both of us. And then it stopped, I didn’t move to the surfaced until I got to the reed bed, and then had to get some air. As I surfaced I saw the Nike leaving real quick. I was trying to see any identifying marking but it was jet black. All of it. After it left I surveyed the area for my sister. I immediately panicked as I couldn’t see my sister. I frantically got out of the water to get a better view of the lake, when I heard some intense coughing to my right side. I ran over there to help my sister out of the water.
“Where are those bastard at?” she said “ Where is the IP back up I requested over an hour ago? Why couldn’t they get here sooner?” my sister was saying while she was crying.
I knew that she was trying to bring some reason to what just was experienced by the both of us, but couldn’t say anything. All I did was to bring her into a hug as both literally broke out into tears. I seemed an eternity until her IP comm came Alive.
“ Detective First Class Mackenzie, come in. This is the IPA patrol cruiser Blue Thunder responding to your call.”
She took her comm and yelled it with such force that I am certain that people in the rest of the valley could here her
“Where the fudgie have you’ve been? I don’t care about any regulations about the locals having jurisdiction. I told you that the locals were firing at a IPA officer and you took your time…”
I grabbed her comm and talked into it as she was about to scream.
“ This is Sergeant Mackenzie of 175th Ranger regiment speaking. Blue Thunder, did you pick up the Nike that just left the area.”
“ What do you think your doing?” my sister glared at me.
“ Calm down, Rebekah. You’ve got to not allow your emotions get a hold of you when you are speakin.” as I handed the com unit back to her.
She took a deep breath and spoke into the comm unit. “ Please repeat that, Blue Thunder. I did not copy what you said.” saying in a more controlled voice.
I looked around at the scene and saw the Nike landing in the front yard.
“ What are you talking about? A jet black Nike left the area just before you showed up and you didn’t spot it.”
“ We were coming in from orbit and did not get any visual any craft leaving the area. Scanners also did not pick up anything.” crackled the comm unit.
“ We should met them, Rebekah.”
She assented as she continued to argue with the crew about how could it not be spotted upon scanners.
We saw the Nike land and the airlock opened disgorging a 6 man squad of men in combat armor and blaster rifles. Both me and sis put our weapons down as the squad covered us.
Some more men left the ship and started to canvass the area when we heard the whine of siren coming down the road to the house.
Some officer exited the Nike a walked towards us as the Locals were getting in to view.
“What the hell are those locals being here, Captain. The locals fired on us when we were at the gate.” Asked my very irate sister.
“ They insisted on talking to you as it would seem that there is an arrest warrant out for him.”
“WHAT!” as both us exclaimed.
“ That is what they said.”
“ Sir, my brother just showed up on world just over 3 hours ago. He was on a charter line before that. Where has he had the time to do anything to warrant a shoot to kill order.”
The Local sheriff showed up and talked in a deep southern drawl, “ Captain Coles, I am Sheriff Bailly of Lumpkin. I here to take into custody of Belisarius Wallace-Mackenzie for the murder of 3 people over 5 years ago.”
“ WHAT!!!” again from the both of us.
“ Excuse me, Sheriff. But such a warrant would be in the database and he would have picked up at the star port if that was true.’ said the IPA Captain.
“ Here is the warrant, sir.”
“ Captain, my brother is innocent of these allegations. There was no such warrant issued on brother until just recently like may be a couple of hours ago.” said my getting very irate sister.
“ Captain, she cannot be….”
“ Watch out what you say, Sheriff because I was…”
The Captain bellowed now. “ Enough. Belisarius Mackenzie you under arrest by the IPA for wrongful use of IPA equipment.”
“WHAT !!! Captain the arrest warrant..”
“ It would be prudent to check the validity of the warrant first. Sheriff, it would be prudent if you would conduct an investigation about the bombing here.” forcefully said the IPA captain.
The sheriff took the hint and walked off and started to order the officer to start doing their jobs.
The Captain took a pair of cuffs and went over to me.
“ Captain, what are you doing? You’re not…” my sister was saying.
“ Detective, read the prisoner his rights.”
“BUT…….. HOW Could”
I gave my sister a squeeze on her left shoulder and put my arms out to be handcuffed.
My sister was shocked but did stammered out the rights of the accused.
I knew that this action was to get me out of the jurisdiction of the local and to the IPA. The captain had used what he could to override the authority of the locals. With me in IPA custody, any question about the local being in the action would be deflected.
I was led on to the Nike by my sister and the Captain.
In side the Nike, I was sent to a holding room and was relieved of the cuffs. My sister gave me peck on the cheek and left leaving the Captain in there with me.
“ Sergeant, Please do no t do anything stupid. I will try to figure out what is happening. You have my word on it. “ As he left the room.
For the first time since I got home, I was alone. Now all the adrenaline had left and now started to realize what had happened. I cried more then anytime I could remember. My beloved foster parents were murdered and my home was blown to kingdom come. Now, I am accused of murdering people I never knew. Why this was all happening, I don’t know. But went it is all done, I will find out who did this.
Then I fell asleep from exhaustion.
Glossary
Azurian Common Market- commonaly known as the Azuriach Imperium. Human supremist nation that is the Second of the three Human Superpowers in space. This nation has believes that humanity is the pinnacle of evelution and that all other races are resources for humanity.
Mercantile League- a nation of humans and other snetients that bonded thegther for free trade and mutual defense. Similar to the Hanseatic League, it does have an overlay of the Roman republic built in. A strong ally of the Terran Union most of the time, it has resisted overtures in joining the United Federation of Planets because of the bureaucracy inherent in the system.
Galatic People’s Republic- the third of the Human superpowers, it is based of the communist China. It is not on friendly terms with the Terran Union, and the Mercantile League, it is in a continous war footing with the Azuriach Imperium because of idealistic reasons.
Terran Union- the foremeost of the human superpowers, and the instigator of the United Federation of Planets, it is the decendent of the United States, European Union, and East Asian confedertion. Left untouched by the Bug incursion, it has unrivaled economic properity because of the UFP.
United Federation of Planets- a grand confederation of the Terran Union, the Grand Pricipality of Procyon ( alarge stellar nation of the MekPurrs), the Rauwoof Republics (caniod nation), Blarad Duchy of Hepheris (a Ursonid nation), that wishes to promote life liberity and the pursuit of happiness. This stellar block formation has given puase to those who didn’t join as it economic strength is unequalled.
MekPurrs- a race of felinoid (intelligent bipelad felines) that have embraced technology to it fullest. The premire designers of robots and cybernetics, they have robots and androids to do most of the menial labor for them. Very ritualistic, and prideful, they are somewhat baffled by humanity’s reckless drive to conquer the stars.
Rauwoofs-a race of Caninoids (intelligent bipedal canines), they have latched onto humans like nothing. They cannot really hide their emotions, they are very much as what you see them. Considering that the Terran Union saved most of their worlds from the Bug incursion, they feel that UFP is the best way to surviv and prosper.
Blarads-a race of Ursoniod( intelligent bipedal Bear-like creature) that follow a very old code of life. They are the second oldest space faring race known to humanity. Think of the Centauri of the B5, when thinking of them. A race built for action, they act when they want to. They view humanity with both admiration and some hostility.
Avatars- a race of felinoids that are sperate from the MekPurrs in that they do not use technology as much. That isn’t to say they don’t know how to use modern weaponry, because they will, but they believe the old ways should not be thrown away. The hunt, the kill worked for their ancestors, it will work for them. MekPurrs and Avatars hate each other because of each perceived weakness.
Nike class patrol ship/torpedo boat- a small vessel equipped with a FTL engine, a very large standard drive, it is used by the Space forces as scouts and patrol because of it small size, ease of maintence and it very large combat payload. It almost as meanverable as a fighter, it can land anywhere, and be anywhere it wants to be.
IPA- Interstellar Police Agency- the UFPs space coast and interstellar police force, it handle most of the small stuff in interstellar space.
Knights of St. John- one of the military knight of orders of the Holy Catholic Empire.
The Holy Catholic Empire- a stellar nation that is headed by the Pope
The Bug Incursion- basically 25 years ago, a insectoid species attacked the space near Earth. Their attacks targetd the Rauwoof Republics, the Azuriach Imperium, and the Galatic People’s Republic. Think of the Bugs of starship Trooper, or from Aliens.
Telleron 3- a battle that incompassed forces from the UFP, the Azuriach Imperium, and the Holy Catholic Empire. Think of the Alamo or Bastogne, except the enemy was a bunch of hostile insects.
Valkeriyes- a slang term for the women of Bryhild 3. A planet of where the enviroment has caused the population to be 95% female. They have adopted the namesake as a badge and strive to be the terror of the Galaxy. Considered to be the best shocktroppers in the Sector, they are as beautiful as they are deadly.
Blasters- energy weapons that use sub-quantum particles, it is considered to be the ulimate weapon. The only energy weapon that can routinely pierce energy shields, it is used by all the Spaceforces, but is rarely found planetside because of it destructive power. Most Police agencies use laser as they are far less destructive.