Gabatrix: the Batrice Crisis
Copyright© 2025 by CMed TheUniverseofCMed
Chapter 9: Operation Night Scion Part 1
Science Fiction Sex Story: Chapter 9: Operation Night Scion Part 1 - Set after the events of Gabatrix: The Last Tank, resentment in the UWA grows in the colony of Batrice, one of the most essential worlds of the human race. Anger, confusion, and misinformation have reached an all-time high. A 24th-century Civil War is all but inevitable. It will be up to Shira, Javier, Stone, and the countless characters of past stories to find a solution before the UWA falls apart. Story Includes: Human/Anthro, M/F, M/FF, War, Sex, Action, Drama, Pregnant, Birth, Scalie, Alien
Caution: This Science Fiction Sex Story contains strong sexual content, including Ma/Fa Consensual Romantic Fiction Science Fiction Aliens Robot Space Furry Lactation Oral Sex Pregnancy Size
The haze persisted. Through the cockpit displays, static would occasionally hit the screen. Darkness was everywhere. Hints of snow and large particulates of dust swarmed through the air. While the winds were not intense by any means, the cold ice, lack of oxygen, and sand threatened to choke any living person who dared venture into it.
There would be occasional flashes in the air as the shuttles flew below the cloud cover of Batrice. Thunderstrikes rippled the air, cracking it in an almost hellish scene.
Hell or not, Mizu knew that he had returned home. Even if he was far from the dome cities, to see the great surface of Batrice bewildered him. Never did he imagine reaching it this far.
The display and sensors did their best in tracking everything. The great Pho Son Tra mountains filled the entire spectrum. The computer system visually enhanced the ground, allowing for proper observation despite the near-perpetual darkness. The shuttles moved with slow simplicity, the basic wings and ventral thrusters helping the winged box-like vessels maintain an ever-present glide. Enhanced imaging did its best in revealing much of the landscape below. Gravity could be felt pulling down against Mizu.
“Whoa...,” Dean’s voice could be heard through the comms. “You know ... your home is really weird...”
The comms link between both shuttles was reestablished. It was safe in doing so, as the constant storms and fluctuating energy made sensor scans difficult from orbit. However, it was also a double-edged sword. It partially blinded sensors and produced static feedback through the comms.
“Yeah,” Mizu replied. “But, it isn’t like this ... the dome cities live all throughout the lit side of Batrice ... still plenty of places to mine...”
“I’m like ... getting half of...” There was a pause and static. “ ... You know?”
“I hear ya, Dean. We’re in a soup mix right now. Expect comms to not be working at a 100%. We have four hours to find this base. If we can’t do it, then we go ahead and proceed with our secondary objective.”
“Ummm ... What about being detected? Like ... won’t they destroy us if we shoot our thingies at them?”
“Yeah, I ... I don’t know. Shira recommends that we stay on the dark side of the planet, even if we have to break off to disable the Rama and the Widado. The satellites are generally fewer on this side, and most of Batrice’s home fleet are patrolling the southern pole region. I guess there’s a benefit to us if Batrice is keeping its resources dedicated to sitting near Gillan rather than watching their own backs.”
“Uhh ... why would Batrice... static ... watch its own back? Wouldn’t they only see their butts the whole time?”
Mizu pulled the flight stick, causing the shuttle to veer away from a tall mountain peak. Dean’s shuttle made the turn to match the heading. The altitude in the region was immense. While the visual enhancement helped in seeing some distances, the haze of snow and dust continued to permeate and make the sightline difficult.
“I don’t know,” Mizu replied. “I want to focus on Drop Point 2 first. It’s the closest mining settlement location to Semarang. The resistance base might be there...”
“You’re the boss, Mizu-Bro...,” Dean said. “Right behind you. Like ... all I get is the nice pretty colors of Silent-Bro’s engines ... All I have to do is just follow it...”
Mizu smiled a little bit. “ ... Hey, Dean...”
“Yeah?”
“Good job ... what you did back there with the satellites. That was really smart of you.”
“Huh? Like ... all I did was just turn to the right a little bit.”
“Dean, don’t try to twist this up. I’m trying to give you a compliment. You fooled the satellites. I saw what you did. I thought I was trying to avoid it, but that one satellite nearly got me...”
“I’m sorry, Mizu-Bro, I only got half of that ... static is something fierce dude...”
“I’m just trying to compliment you...”
“Ah ... Like, I appreciate it. Totally...”
“Ugh...”
It was nothing but endless mountains, more than the eye could ever see. The crackling lightning persisted. The shuttles flew by another mountain peak. On the sensor screen, Mizu noted the landscape below. Drop Point 2 was mostly near the original entry point. As the shuttles continued heading westward, the hint of proverbial daylight was approaching. However, even then, the constant cloud cover continued to fight the light from ever reaching the region.
“Two more minutes till we reach the vicinity,” Mizu said. “We’ll see if we can ... ummm ... wait...”
The sensors picked up a pair of flying objects. They were on parallel courses with each other, heading in opposite directions. They were just on the edge of the screen before they disappeared.
“Looks like we got a pair of F-167s flying over this region,” Mizu said. “Batrice seems hellbent on finding this resistance base.”
“Maybe, they can like ... help us, you know?” Dean replied.
“I doubt that. It doesn’t look like they picked us up, but we need to stay alert. I doubt they’re the only ones out here...”
It took a good minute of flying. More hints of starlight could be seen in the distance. By the time the two shuttles reached the supposed location of the base, Mizu could see a vast valley region. The mountains were still everywhere, but there was the hint of a magnetic rail system that led to a vast open cavern, cut out into the very rock itself.
“Ok...,” Mizu remarked. “Drop Point 2 ... Keep your scanners up, Dean. This is Semarang’s oldest mining tunnel assembly. The train station leads directly back to their city.”
The shuttles continued to keep an ever-present slow momentum over the region. The thunderstorms were far less active over this region despite the constant haze of dust particles in the air. There were massive mobile laser drill platforms. However, they didn’t seem to be in use, almost as if they had been abandoned to the elements. Only one light beacon was on, serving as a navigational lighthouse for any wayward vessel.
“Like ... I don’t see anything, Mizu-Bro,” Dean replied.
“Hmmm...,” Mizu commented. “I don’t either. I wouldn’t be surprised if the rebels avoided using this place as their base. It’s too conspicuous. It’s the first place Batrice would look, but we can still use this place as a reference point.”
“Do they uh ... know we’re stopping by?”
“I don’t think so, but we would see other forms of activity, even if they were trying to remain hidden. I really don’t think this is the place to go. Let’s head to Drop Point 3. It’s the nearest location from here. I doubt we’re going to have any luck there either, but it’s more out of the way for snooping patrols, assuming they have the same layout plans from Semarang’s mining database...”
Over two hours had passed. The scenery was completely dark. Mizu could feel his fatigue collecting over him. The constant flying and avoiding of high peaks, the endless failures of finding nothing but abandoned mining settlements over the entire mountain region, and the lack of sleep were taking their toll. It proved taxing. At times, it was merely impossible to find anything in the wake of storms, low visibility, and darkness.
The two shuttles flew over a large landing pad built on the cliffside of one of the mountains. Snow and dirt had collectively piled over much of it. There was a makeshift tram that led past the pad and into a mining cavern. There were no other signs of activity from the vicinity.
“Nothing over Drop Point 4...,” Mizu remarked with a sigh. “This place has been abandoned for some time. Otherwise, that pad would have some level of cleanup to it.”
“Maybe they just gave static ... like ... went home,” Dean’s voice cut out from the static.
A large lightning strike flew from the air and blew into the side of the mountain like a jackhammer. The pilot saw just enough of it that it caused him to recoil a little bit on his controls.
“I ... doubt it,” Mizu replied. “We have one last place to go, and that’s Drop Point 5. The problem is that I really don’t think we’re going to have any luck at this point. We’ve had to dodge three patrols, with the last one nearly spotting us.”
“ ... Maybe they already like ... found them...,” Dean said.
It was the first time Dean said it with a hint of doubt, one that echoed in Mizu’s mind. The fact was that Dean might have been correct, but why were the patrols still there?
“Nah,’ Mizu replied. “If they found them, the patrols would cease ... I don’t know anymore ... a part of me feels like this is trying to find a diamond in a kilometer-long dirt pile. This place is just ... too big for its own good.”
“I didn’t understand all that, Mizu-Bro,” Dean replied.
“Alright. If we double back to Drop Point 5, it’ll be heading northward. We can forfeit this part of the mission and just make our attack run on the Rama and the Widado.”
“I’m like ... whatever you want.” The sound of Dean taking a drag of something through the comms. “ ... Yep, whatever makes you happy...”
Mizu turned the craft in a westerly direction in preparation for turning north. “I don’t know,” Mizu continued with a sigh. “Something tells me that Plan A is the only plan, Dean. If we switch over to Plan B, we’ll succeed in our attack with the Rama and the Widado, but we won’t make it back to the Lifen ... we’ll be dead...”
“Ummm ... maybe Batrice won’t mind us like ... disabling their ships, you know?”
“I wish that were the case, but Shira is really counting on us knocking out those two battleships. I can almost tell from her that she isn’t really interested in helping out those rebels.”
“Hmmm ... I don’t know, man. Like ... Captain Shiry is smart, like really smart ... I think she wants us to find the rebels ... They static...” Another thunderstrike cracked the air above them. “But, Shiry believes we can do it ... I mean, look at the scenarios we did with Silent-Bro and Stealth-Bro ... they’ve been like ... our bros, you know? Shiry knows that we know how to fly them ... they’ve been our pals and frankly, I think Stealth-Bro has been telling me ... that it’s time. He’s ready to make his final mission ... and he doesn’t want us to be a part of it when he makes his last run...”
“ ... You really think so?”
“Yeah, I know Silent-Bro feels the same way, too. Our bros will be gone, but we live on ... remembering the ones that helped us along the way ... whoa ... that’s just deep...”
Wishful thinking was nice, but Mizu had to accept reality. These rebels wished to remain hidden. They were too good at their jobs. Time was slowly running out. The longer they flew, the greater the likelihood of being detected. He knew that Drop Point 5 had nothing there. With no other information provided, any further investigation would only endanger the entire operation.
Fear and doubt were ever present. The mountains remained stoic, forever holding the countless secrets that lay within their veins. Mizu was unsure what to do anymore. He felt tempted to pull his stick and drive northward, make the final run, and accomplish the mission that Shira so demanded.
Mizu sighed and reached underneath his uniform, into his chest pocket. He’d almost forgotten about it, but he remembered what Jenta had given him. It was a gift for him ... something when he needed it the most. He pulled out the small box-like device. Keeping one eye on his display, he used his free thumb to slip the device open.
It was simple, something meant for only loving couples to enjoy. Mizu saw the sign given to him, causing him to almost choke in happiness.
“Jenta’s pregnant,” Mizu said with a profound smile.
“Ah, dude, farout,” Dean remarked. “Congratulations, Mizu-Bro...”
“Yeah ... Jenta gave me an Itrean pregnancy test kit ... shit ... ah ... I...”
“It’s ok, I hear ya, bro. I’m like ... really happy for you. That’s three kids. I know Izzy would be happy to hear of that...”
Mizu had to focus on flying, but the news hit him like a soft pillow. The conflict in his mind remained. Should he discontinue finding the rebels or make the attack run?
No ... he had to live. He had to find this base. The rebels needed his help. There had to be a way...”
“No!” Mizu yelled out. “We find this base. They’re here somewhere. They have to be...”
“Yeah,” Dean remarked with a sense of determination. “But, ... like where?”
“The drop points...,” Mizu turned the flight stick, avoiding another mountain peak. “We might be heading in the right direction.” He started tapping the buttons on his console. “Dean, the drop points might be indicators on where to go instead of where they’re at.”
“Like, some static came in ... I didn’t catch all that...”
“Dean, the drop points. Keep following me. I’ve set the computer to calculate a centroid, a center focal point based on all the drop points. These rebels know that others might have picked up the comm-link they had with their contacts. They didn’t want to accidentally reveal their location for Batrice to find out. They coded their own transmission, knowing that we might be able to figure it out without Batrice catching onto it.”
“Alright ... yeah, we got a plan...”
“There ... the computer has a ten-kilometer radius calculated on the map of where we need to focus. It’ll take thirty minutes to get there...”
It was a plan. Mizu adjusted his heading and made the flight to the unprescribed location. He knew it might have led to nothing, but it was still worth checking it out...
A growing hint of light was returning to the landscape as the shuttles continued to head westward. The thunderstorms persisted, but were fewer in the region. However, there were far more mountain peaks in the area. Plateaus and canyons were prevalent, as Mizu knew they were in the very heart of the Pho Son Tra mountains.
“Ok,” Mizu said. “We’re about a few minutes from reaching the centroid region on the map. Keep your eyes open, Dean.”
“Yep, yep, like, I hear ya, Mizu-Bro,” Dean replied. Mizu could hear the other pilot taking another drag of something from the comms.
“Well, at least you don’t sound like you’re wasted.”
“I know, right? This stuff ... it’s ok, but this peyote doesn’t seem to really have much of a punch to it. I’m trying to really take a hard hit, but I don’t feel much to it...”
“Maybe you shouldn’t be smoking it at all.”
Coughing could be heard from Dean. “Yeah ... egh ... you’re right, Mizu-Bro. Just want to give Stealth-Bro his best send-off...”
Mizu was going to say more, but he noticed another thunder surge erupting in the air. Static erupted on the screen, disrupting systems for a moment. Static briefly filled the screen as he was preparing to fly around another mountain peak.
“Ugh...” Mizu tried to say. “Let’s hope that this base is AHHH!”
Something small flew by the shuttle. Mizu barely saw it as it got the jump on him. It was resting on the mountain peak, obscured by dirt and snow until the shuttles were right on top of it. Whatever it was had a cylindrical profile, but carried four mechanical ligaments and a large antennae-like structure above it. It lifted off from the peak, possessing four sets of glowing red eyes. The ligaments began to spin like propeller blades, while its vectoring thrusters helped it maneuver in place. Mizu was so close to it that it actually disrupted the liftoff of the thing.
The pilot almost recognized what it was immediately. Alarms were sounding off in the cockpit, signaling red.
“Dean, you alright?” Mizu called out.
“Yeah, but what was that?” Dean replied.
“Probe! We’ve been detected! Increase speed by 25%!”
It was a Batrice probe. The optical lenses resembled spider eyes, designed to track any object that might have flown into the vicinity. How many of these things resided over the vast mountains was unknown.
The shuttles’ speed was picking up as the rear vents emitted a brighter blue. The interior cockpit jolted a little bit from the sudden increase in velocity. The probe’s mere presence was a problem. It tried to fly and chase the two shuttles, but they were already putting some distance between them.
“It has a lock on us,” Mizu said. “It isn’t armed, but it’s relaying our signal to orbit. We’ll be out of its range in about two minutes.”
“Ummm ... Mizu-Bro,” Dean called out to him. “We might need to like ... escape it sooner. Probe-Dude is watchin and admiring Silent-Bro. I think he knows that we aren’t Batrice-Buddies and all that...”
“We’ll get away ... we’ll ... what the?”
Before Mizu could finish his sentence, a new alarm registered from his panel. It was coming from the cloud cover above. A small, gray, cylindrical winged device was heading toward the two shuttles. A smoke trail could be seen as it headed straight to Mizu.
“Missile!” Mizu yelled. “Bank right, bank right!”
Both shuttles veered hard to the right. Mizu felt his adrenaline surge even more as the two vessels attempted to evade it. There was very little that could be done about it. In a few seconds, the missile suddenly exploded, sending a blast of energy and a concussive shockwave into the air. The blast radius did hit the shuttle, rocking the interior a little bit, but they did escape most of the explosion. Systems were momentarily disrupted, but Mizu knew he was ok.
“You alright, Dean?” Mizu called out.
“Yep, yep,” Dean replied.
“That was an EMP Missile. They’re firing at us from orbit!”
The alarms persisted. The probe was still in range, keeping its lock on the two shuttles. Despite the probe moving more slowly, it was still trying to head towards Mizu and Dean. The red detection alarm persisted. Mizu knew the thing was watching him.
“It’s pinging us to the fleet above!” Mizu said. “We need to escape it or we’re going to have hell rain down on us!”
Another crack in the air could be heard. A new missile appeared from orbit and came rushing toward the two shuttles. A series of beeps could be heard as it was zeroing in on Mizu’s location. The frequency grew in intensity.
“Evade! Evade!”
Both Mizu and Dean banked in opposite directions. The missile was operating under basic movements. In mere seconds, the same thing happened again. The object exploded, sending a blast shockwave in all directions. This time, the energy discharge was stronger. It nearly knocked out all the systems on the shuttle. The very thought of it rocked Mizu. If his vessel were disabled in flight, the entire ship would plummet and crash into the rock strata below. The only thing Batrice would find is wreckage and red paint stains of a person’s remains.
“They’re trying to kill us...,” Mizu said in dark realization. “The probe has a sightline radius that it’s using to maintain its lock on us. It’s providing basic guidance feedback to the warship’s missiles. They’re coming down once every 40 seconds. We need to find a way to escape this probe ... another blast and I’m dead.”
There were fewer than 8 seconds left. Mizu saw Dean’s shuttle take the lead ahead of him. It was flying low and to the right, maintaining a westward direction.
“I, ummm...,” Dean said. “Doper Dean has a plan, Mizu-Bro. Follow me and like ... do everything I do...”
Despite the man sounding like he was stoned, Dean said it with such confidence that Mizu had no choice but to follow. He veered the shuttle along behind him, maintaining distance. The seconds had elapsed. A new missile had appeared, but it was far away, further than the other two prior missiles. In less than 30 seconds, the missile would impact. The probe had plenty of seconds to ensure that this time, it wouldn’t miss.
A beeping sound was slowly increasing in rhythm. The descent of Mizu’s ship was taking it dangerously close to the ground. From his display, Dean was heading toward a canyon, a vast open rock strata carved out by the planet’s crust. Natural cliffsides formed barriers that stuck near the mountains. However, this canyon was partially narrow and shallow. It wouldn’t be easy nor safe to fly into it.
The canyon was utter suicide. Twenty-five seconds remained as the beeping slowly intensified.
“Umm ... Dean?” Mizu called out.
“Trust me, Mizu-Bro...,” Dean said.
For Mizu, it was better to follow the crazy man into darkness than let the tide consume him. The pilot took a deep breath following behind Dean. He needed to strike a balance between making his own adjustments and avoiding overcompensation or underperformance in the process. In about ten seconds, Dean’s ship slipped into the canyon, banking hard to the left. Vectoring thrusters were fully active, pushing the vessel to make its course adjustment. Mizu pulled hard as his shuttle did the same thing. Thankfully, entering the canyon was easy, but remaining in it was a different problem.
“Oh ... my God,” Mizu remarked in sheer adrenaline. He was practically holding his breath. He was flying in a trench at about 150 meters above the ground. The sound of the roaring jets could be heard.
Twelve seconds remained. The missile was closing in from above. The probe was falling out of range, but it still had control over the warhead. The confines of the rocky walls would prevent much maneuvering. Mizu questioned the sheer logic of this plan. There would be no way he could dodge the missile or the blast.
Dean handled the flight with ease, seemingly knowing what he was doing. The trench would naturally close and open at times, thinning the area. Jutting rocks also threatened to skewer the vessels if they got too close. Alarms were constantly going off in the cockpit, warning Mizu of the unsafe speeds of his craft in such dangerous conditions.
“Yep, Stealth-Bro can do it...” Dean said.
Nine seconds ... a flash of thunder briefly interrupted the display screen. A narrow corridor appeared in front of the two vessels. Mizu’s eyes went wide the moment he saw it. The canyon thinned out to where the walls reached about 30 meters apart. He could choose to fly over it, but with the beeping sound intensifying, flying out of the canyon would likely get his vessel hit by the incoming missile. Before he could do anything else, he saw Dean roll the shuttle, pointing his right wing to the ground, nose ready to pierce the small opening ahead.
“No ... no fucking way!” Mizu yelled out.
Mizu replied in earnest, questioning all his sanity in turning his shuttle and doing the same thing as Dean, repeating the same exact maneuver.
Five seconds ... the beeping sound was near its maximum frequency. In less than a second, Dean flew through the small opening. The wake of the moving shuttle likely rattled the rocks, knocking loose dirt and ice. It only lasted for two seconds, but Mizu would see the same thing in return, getting only tiny fragments that would hit his vessel, flying straight through the opening as well.
Mizu was like a deer in headlights. He practically forgot to breathe at all. Any tiny misstep and the shuttle would have smashed into the rock strata. The small profile of the vessel would be its only saving grace, preserving it. The trench walls quickly reopened, making it forty to 80 meters wide.
BEEP. Suddenly, the missile impacted. It slammed into the top of the cliffside like a powerful hammer. An explosion rocked the entire vicinity as another energy and concussive shockwave went outward in all but one direction. The cliffside wall had served as a natural defense, saving much of the explosive force from hitting Dean or Mizu, but there was a cost...
The explosion destabilized the wall above. Dean had just leveled out his vessel when rocks and boulders were thrown directly atop, raining fragments of death upon them. Mizu could only do one thing: follow Dean exactly. He saw him roll the shuttle, vectoring thrusters doing their part in keeping the vessel hovering. Mizu did the same thing. The opening of the trench grew wider, but the rocks and debris were falling.
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