Chapter 24: The Aftermath

Stahl

“If that is an Army Exercise then my name is Donald Duck.” Stahl grunted from the command seat.

“Sir we getting thousands of calls for help from short range GalNet PDD’s. They are coming from Desolate, Harper’s Junction and Green Hell.”

“There are nine Capital Kermac Units and there is debris of at least seven civilian craft including a space bus, Sir”

“We are detecting Energy Weapon fire from the surface of Green Hell.”

Stahl interrupted the flow of reports. “Launch Wolfcrafts, clip their claws but, I want at least one Kermac ship remaining as evidence. Sniper TL’s target those engines. Marines prepare for boarding action. Comm. send these images directly to the Assembly along with Admiral McElligott’s private communiqué I received. Send a copy to GalNet Channel One.”

He got up. “Captain take it from here, I am off dropping with my marines on Green Hell.”

McElligott

Admiral McElligott lost all color as one of his assistants switched on a GalNet Terminal and selected the most watched News Channel. The images showed Kermac battleships, a destroyed space bus, and a heavily damaged space port and surface buildings identified as Harper’s Junction. The images were simultaneous played with the conversation he had with Stahl.

The Commentator, a famous Klack anchor said with unveiled accusation in his simulated voice. “The Kermac have attacked a Union System. Calls for help were not only ignored by our Highest Admiral, he actively tried to prevent our greatest Hero to render assistance. The Eternal Warrior had been sent away before and came back to save us from certain destruction and now 1500 years later, his heroism is again questioned by an old man who acts as if he is a Kermac agent himself. The evidence certainly points towards Admiral McElligott.

“We are receiving millions of calls already demanding an investigation and an explanation.”

McElligott sank into his seat. “My god, he was right again!” To his assistant he said. “But the President he called personally...”

His office door flew open and Marines and the Chief Justice Advocate came in. The JAG officer said. “Admiral McElligott, I am here on behalf of the Assembly and I am here to place you under arrest and take you before the Assembly.” Then he added. “O’Brock, is it true? We are friends for years!”

McElligott pale as a sheet. “The President...”

Sam

He had 2 Cerberus left and had to abandon his Baby Tiger as it was hit by a Melter Grenade and reduced to slag. He was down to his last Energy mag. He lost count but according to Charles they had defeated 800 Kermac and 60 Landing tanks. Sam wiped his brow, his helmet partially melted a few hundred yards behind him somewhere on the ground. He knelt next to the Stomper that had somehow, miraculously survived even the last wave of attacks and his Auto Doc attached to the beast made a chirping beep and responded. “Contact to Med Central re-established, transmitting physiology data. Receiving treatment instructions from Paracelsus. Commencing treatment.”

The Stomper had lost three of its legs and several tentacles. Its marvelous crystalline shell cracked at several spots, oozing a stinking black blood. It made a gargling sound every time it took a breath. The torching winds of nuclear blasts most likely burned his wind pipes. One of the usually so deadly tentacles reached out and coiled in a weak gesture around Sam’s arm. “No worries big fellow, we get you back on your feet.” Sam glanced on his threat sensors, noting at least 200 more Kermac Infantry approaching. Big mass and energy signatures proved they had landed Kermac Battle Walkers, they would be within range in less than 10 minutes. He said to Charles, who also was battle scarred and ran on energy reserves.” We did pretty good Tin-head, but we won’t survive another wave. I could not have asked for a better comrade, Charles.”

Charles deep red visual sensors glowed a tad brighter. “One thinks that the concept of honor and valor are no longer alien concepts. One is honored to have fought with you, Master.”

“Quit that master crap. You know my name. Let’s not make it too easy for them and give them a hot welcome. Have Number Nine take our last three Proxi Mines over there to the tree line.”

A woman in a green dress appeared from the tree line, walked bare feet across the torched ground and Sam got up. “Ma’am, over here quick! Are you hurt?”

She smiled. “Yes Sam I am hurt, but I heal fast.” Sam noticed green leaves and plants breaking through the charred ground. Heavy rain clouds gathered and boiled up over them as if Green Hell had the latest in force field weather control, which it of course did not have. Sam said. “I am going to give you my suit Ma’am and then you try to run as far as you can. There will be more of them soon. Seeing you here, Ant Hill must be gone.”

He was not surprised that she knew his name, he assumed she was a civilian fleeing from Ant Hill and somehow managed to slip by the Kermac troops and survive the jungle. The first heavy raindrops fell.

“I am touched, Sam. You caring for one of my children. Defending me most gallantly and quite effectively, but now that my chosen warrior and his Black Terrors from ages past, devour the enemies, I can restore what has been hurt and cover what has died with new life.”

The approaching signals started to fade, more and more winked out. Sam blinked at the strange speech. “Who are you?” Unlike Roy however he begun to understand, “You are native right? You are from Green Hell and I don’t mean a Greenie.” The few drops of rain had changed to a torrent down pour. The water hitting the hot ground turned to mist and steam. The sweltering heat and moisture seemed not to affect her at all.

“Yes Sam, I am Green Hell.”

An enemy Nurhir-Type Battle tank exploded in an earthshaking explosion as it hit the three Proxi Mines. A Kermac 30 meter battle walker with glowing shields crushed into the open. Sam pulled the woman down behind the bulk of the Stomper. “Goddess or not, that is some serious Kermac hardware.”

A tremendous blast of energy coming from the horns of a black animal hit the Walker and made it stumble and crash into the mud. Two black beasts, with terrifying teeth and claws, with glowing eyes and horns ripped and clawed through armor and bloody bits of the walkers crew joined the rain only a few heart beats later, dropping in sickening black globs of flesh and guts to the ground. A Kermac solider managed to flee but tangled into the net of a Moolax and died with an agonizing scream. Sam recognized the black beasts, they looked just like Roy’s partner, not nearly as big, but utterly vicious and terrifying. Did the horrors not end? The beasts turned their massive heads and stared at them with their glowing eyes. Their muscles tensed and were about to attack, but then they simply disappeared with popping sounds. vanishing from one eye blink to the next.

There was a sudden flash in the sky and three new suns glared even past the heavy cloud cover into existence with brilliant white light, outshining Maxwell for a brief moment. Sam jumped to his feet and yelled with a triumphant scream. “He’s here! The Devi is here and he is saying hello Terran style!”

Charles said. “Sensors confirming multiple translocator-bomb explosions.”

Sam shook his fist to the sky. “Try to be arrogant now, you hairless bastards, he is going to tear you a new one and hunt you to extinction!” To the woman he said with a wide grin of relieve. “Green Lady, our mightiest warrior has arrived. The Invaders will be vanquished and swept away.”

She put her hand on the Stomper. “Now Qaroniel will retake and restore!” The Stomper healed before his eyes and came to his feet. Trees and bushes, grass and plants started to grow and it would take no time and the scars of the battle would be covered. Sam didn’t like to be so close to a healthy full sized Stomper and said. “I always knew there was more to this world than it appeared, but I am not a Greenie and my suit is damaged.”

“The Stomper likes you and will never hurt you. Go give it a name, that is what humans do when they befriend an animal, do they not?”

“I lost my home, Green Hell. I am not sure I will stay and besides now that we know there is a sentient life form, we most likely must abandon this world.”

“No Sam, you are not a Greenie by birth. You are however one by heart. You are welcome to rebuild your home and farm. You never did us harm. Rebuild your home. A fence is no longer needed. Keep respecting the world as you always have and it will respect you.”

“You want us humans to stay?”

“I want no one who does not love this world to know about me. Ant Hill is fine as long as it not grows too much and too big. Many of those who were born here love me and this world and they are my children.”

“What do I tell the Eternal Warrior about you? How do I explain...”

“You fought on your own and without my help, this you can tell your Warrior.” She smiled. “He was here before, he was the first human to set foot on Green Hell and survive, I know of him. He does not know of me but I am certain he has felt my presence back then. Keep me a secret.”

“I will.”

“When peace and tranquility has returned to this world I shall visit you. Roy has told me much about you and your Hell-Ade.”

“Roy, he sure will be glad if he hears that Green Hell is unharmed.”

“Roy is here. Roy summoned the Black Beasts and Roy is my warrior and one day he inherits all that is Qaroniel.” A thunderous sound he knew all too well made him turn his head. Orbital Assault Marines dropping at the speed of sound, a voice called him from within his helmet. “Steel Gauntlet, calling Master Sergeant Brown.”

“Master Sergeant Sam Brown, USMC retired reporting in. I could use a Black Smith down here.”

The Steel Gauntlet was a small band of Marines, picked by Stahl himself, also known as Stahl’s Own. He had been one of them for a very long time. Calling for a Black Smith was calling for a Suit Repair Specialist. He turned to the woman but she had vanished. A Marine in a dark blue Gilgamesh, its Camouflage deactivated and a yellow Anchor, Globe and Eagle symbol on his shoulder covers, the symbol for the old pre-astro Marine Corps dropped like an old hand right next to him. Not the rookie roll and cover, but someone who had the toe controls for the arti-grav and thrusters down to an art form. True to his reputation he was the first to land in a drop before his men did, Richard Stahl had arrived. He brushed his helmet open without fear looked around and said. “You know I have better things to do than to come running anytime one of my old Master Sergeants calls. Looks like I got dressed up for nothing. I detect only dead Kermac tissue and lots of shredded hardware.”

Richard Stahl was one of those men who could smile only with his eyes. “Not that I expected any less of you, Master Sergeant Brown.” The Immortal added after a moment. “You, Mr. Brown do not have to stand in attention, it is I who should, at ease Marine, at ease!”

“Sir...” Sam had a knot in his throat and pride and relieve swelled his heart and chest. Words failed him.

Stahl put his hand on the silently standing robot. “Ah an old Type IV, of all Cerberus Series, the most reliable and intelligent machines, isn’t that one of the machines that saved our bacon in the Tauris Tunnels, half a galaxy and almost a lifetime away from here?”

Sam nodded. “Yes Sir, and you helped me to save ten of them before Fleet sent the rest back for recycling. He glanced past Charles. “Now there is Charles and Number Nine, the rest didn’t make it.”

Charles red visual sensor glowed dimly. “One is honored to be remembered by the Admiral, Sir.”

Richard said. “I remember those who fought with me, be they flesh and blood or Ultronit and Silicone.” He keyed his Command channel. “Captain be so kind and send me Cerb -Maintenance and eight Cerbs, to my location.”

To Sam and Charles he said. “They’ll fix you up good as new and won’t touch Charles’ Ego Center, I promise.” The Immortal Admiral had immediately noticed that Charles was sentient. “You Charles, take charge of those eight Cerbs.”

Sam looked up into the sky. “The Kermac?” Stahl said.” We contained one Kermac battleship; the other eight no longer exist. If the Assembly declares war the ones we caught alive will be treated as the Kermac treat our POW and if there is no war, I’ll have them hanged for piracy and murder.”

“How can there be no war? They attacked us with battleships!”

“Because the Assembly decides such things and not we soldiers and that my friend is the reason I am still wearing this Uniform.”

Phil

Celyciia simply hugged the first Union Marine that came down into the corridor.

The young Marine corporal in his destroyer suit blushed while his two comrades made comments about the spoils of war and he should share. Celyciia now cried openly. “Marines, Union Marines! Now I have seen the most beautiful sight in the Universe!”

The Corporal still blushing said. “The City is secure Ma’am. Does any one of you need medical attention?”

A PFC next to the Corporal snickered. “She seems alright, but I need cosmetic surgery if she thinks you are the prettiest and not me!”

The Marines took charge and put the arrested Kermac and the woman in Stasis boxes.

Ruddick said. “The woman’s name is Yeager and she is under arrest for murder of Federal Inmates and is not a prisoner of war.”

The Marine nodded. “I’ll mark her Stasis box that way, Officer.”

Phil said. “Is it really over?”

“Yes Sir, the Devi has swept the system clean and an old Marine friend of the Old Man killed the Kermac down here, so it appears.”

Phil looked around “Where is Cherubim? Corporal, did you see a blonde woman pass you?”

“No Sir.”

“She must have passed you. There is no other exit from down here, than that elevator behind you, right?”

“Nobody passes a United Stars Marine unnoticed, Sir. Do you have a person of your group missing?”

Phil smiled weakly. “Never mind Corporal, Cherubim made being a nobody an art form.” He looked around. “Now comes the really hard part, we got to put all this in reports kiddos.”

Celyciia said. “Does that mean good bye? Are you leaving us?”

He shrugged. “If you go back to Recksnostal, yes it means good bye. If you want to help me solve an old cold case on Splish-Splash Colony then it does not.”

“Where do I say I want to be transferred to?”

“Union Police Headquarters, Decker’s Office.”

She turned to Ruddick. “How about you?”

“I quit the police. Cherubim made me an offer and I accepted.”

She gasped. “You, good ol’ Ruddick, a spook?”

“I meant what I said. As long as there are Demons outside our gates that can do all this, Police work makes no sense to me. I want to do my share that something like this won’t happen again.”

“So it does mean good bye but totally different than I thought.”

The Sergeant nodded. “Give my regards to the boys, back home.”

“You are not even going back to quit?”

“No Celyciia, she told me that I must cease to exist in order to do the work she told me I would do.”

A Marine interrupted and said. “Can someone sign this arrest record?” Celyciia pressed her thumb on the PDD and then said to Ruddick. “How can you...” Ruddick too had disappeared apparently into thin air.

Roy

Roy noticed the numbers of black beasts became fewer by the moment. There was an eerie silence, all Kermac was gone, except for the crying and groaning leader glued to a Trappers Palm, the Vamp Flies had devoured much of his exposed skin and yet the little Med Box tried its best to keep him alive. Roy looked away. He wanted the Kermac to suffer but he needed his Med Box, so he deactivated the box and recalled the Nanite resources.

Then he took the box and said. “You are only the first one, I am going to kill you all. Every Kermac, every Wizard.” The Wizard gargled as Buzzsaws dug into his brain and killed him.

Roy took the box to Cara who was still unconscious and after the box completed its initial diagnostic it said. “ Life form identified as Saresii, symptoms point to Psionic overload and hemorrhaging brain tissue. Med Central recommends Stasis until she can be transferred to a Hospital.”

He pressed the Emergency Beacon and the Unit did its best to stabilize her and keep her alive. Then he hugged Partner. “I am so glad you’re back, I thought I lost you. Don’t ever scare me like this again. He kissed the big animal and said. “I love you as much as a human can love an animal.”

The waves of warmth and affection were like an embrace and Roy remained that way for a little while. He straightened and looked around. “All your friends are gone, I can’t see a single one.”

Partner overwhelmed Roy’s mind with images but none of them made any sense so he simply said. “If you can tell them thank you from me then do that.”

Qaroniel had silently appeared next to him and said. “His kind is the reason I exist. His kind was the only living thing I feared.”

“Partner comes from Green Hell after all?”

“No he does not, but now come my child it is time you meet my true self.”

“I have not?”

“Come!” She led him to the blasted cave and there was a massive metal door in the now exposed back of the cave and it opened with a croaking heavy sound thin slaps of rock cracking a splintering away.

Roy instinctively knew this door had not been opened for a very long time.

She waved, “Come Roy, you are the first being to enter my home for over a million years of your time.” With these words she vanished, not like Partner with a loud pop but like a hologram avatar simply fading into thin air. Roy slowly stepped over the thick threshold and found himself in a dark room. Soft bluish lights came on and revealed what he could only describe as a laboratory of some kind. He was not a scientist but he had been raised by two brilliant biologists and he had been to the Institute many times. As alien as the equipment appeared he was almost certain the device on the left was a DNA sequencer and the machine next to it a tissue weaver tank.

“Very good my child”, her now bodiless voice coming from everywhere and nowhere said. “I once was a machine, an AI built and designed by the Saresii of what you call the First Age of Knowledge. You see Qaroniel means not Murder or Hell, it means Multitude.” The voice of the woman came from a central column and her face wafted like a fog around the machine.

“This world was a paradise once with few carnivorous beasts. No plant did harm, no bird could kill. Then the Dark Ones Came and used Beasts like yours and so the old Saresii and the Seenians wanted to create something to counter these black beasts and gathered the most dangerous life forms they could find from all across the Galaxy and brought them here and combined them. They made countless monsters, many are still sleeping far below, monsters and life meant to fight and kill. But man be it Terrans, Saresii or Seenian are poor designers of true life and balance. I was their tool. A machine of great knowledge and with all the tools needed to manipulate life.”

“The Saresii died, the Seenians perished and I was left alone. When it happened I cannot say but I merged with an idea a thought alone, an intellect without form and something alive but not of this plane merged with me, made me aware and I continued to help my children, but I let Nature decide what should develop and what not.

“I now have control over all that lives on this world and Nature has found its balance as you so oft expressed.”

Roy slowly approached the column and while it all sounded fantastic, it was something he could understand and accept. A Goddess with magic powers was something he rejected, a computer making and editing life ... that was possible. “Why are you revealing all this to me?”

“You loved me from the start and I loved you for that. As recent events prove, my existence even after all this time is not forgotten and what has been found once by the Kermac can be found again.

When the day comes that evil returns, then so must you once again take up arms to defend me. As you know now, I can’t defend myself against a threat coming from beyond the sky.”

“Why not simply let the Fleet take care of it?”

“Will they fight for me as you would? Will they forget when new alliances are made? No my child they won’t, but if you do not want this burden...”

“Of course I want to protect you but you saw how impotent I was against the Kermac.”

“You command Partner and you are still a boy. You will become a warrior much like your Uncle Sam.”

“So what will happen now?”

“What happens in the Universe and between Union and Kermac I cannot predict, even though the day comes where only one civilization will carry on while the other must perish. Green Hell will heal, it heals already and the physical scars will vanish. Few know of my existence and I hope it will remain that way. Let Green Hell be what it always was, a mystery to visitors, a horror and nightmare to outsiders and a paradise and home to those who are indeed Greenies.”